Naruto: Edge of Tomorrow
by Geor-sama
Summary: At times of war things are done that should never be done. Research that should never be considered becomes practice. Now in a time when Daybreak is rising, desperate Shadows seek to kill what they created and a boy becomes a legend.
1. Prolog: In The Darkest Night

**Naruto:**  
_Edge of Tomorrow_  
Chapter 0  
_-Konoaguke no Seto:  
In The Darkest Night-_  
By Geor-sama

* * *

The ANBU was like a wraith, unseen and unheard as he slipped through the Gate checkpoint and then among the buildings. He blended almost perfectly into the background, dressed entirely in black garb of the Hokage's private messenger, and only those who were also ANBU could detect his presence, though they chose to pretend they had not. It explained how he could slip so easily into the Hokage Tower and make his way to the top floor.

Here for the first time he paused, having almost collided with a dark-haired, plain looking woman who was carrying a pig in her arms. Her face registered shock, and then her eyes drifted to sealed scrolls in his hand. "Are those the reports?"

He nodded, speaking softly. "Is she awake? I was told this was an urgent dispatch." 

The woman sighed. "Yes. She's awake..."

He slipped past her without a word and then entered the office cautiously, aware of the danger this could present for startling a Hokage. Thankfully, she was indeed awake, bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window of her office and reclining behind the massive desk. It was also obvious that she had been drinking; the Hokage did not even bother to hide the sake bottle.

Not that he could blame her for drinking.

"So?" The Hokage finally prompted, her brown eyes staring at him intently. Unnerved, he set the various scrolls on the desk before her. The Godaime reached out, pulling each one towards herself, studying the seals for a moment before looking up at him. "Anything else?" 

"Yes." The man said, producing a slightly battered bingo book. "A gift from Waterfall. Apparently they managed to obtain a copy of an Iwa bingo book."

"Interesting," the Hokage said almost dryly, staring at the book as he handed it over.

"I was told that the third entry on page 234 would interest us," the messenger said, and, when he noted her sudden interest, he continued: "I agree Hokage-sama, that entry is very interesting for Konoha."

The Godaime raised an eyebrow at that and then, forcing aside her interest in the scrolls, checked the bingo book in her hands. At first she did not react, just read; the messenger could tell because he could see the way her eyes kept flickering while her mouth moved ever so slightly.

He was trying to figure out what she was feeling, or her thoughts, but she was a closed book to him. When she finally set the book aside, he was disturbed by the amused look on her face even though it did look strained. "So, Jiraiya wasn't making up stories..." 

"Huh?"

The Hokage fixed him with a level gaze, lacing her fingers together. "Nothing." Looking away, the blonde woman raised her voice slightly. "You don't have to listen at the keyhole Shizune. You can come in."

The messenger turned slightly, surprised that he had missed the girl. The dark haired woman, still carrying that pig, was chuckling nervously as she entered the room. "I-I'm sorry..."

The Hokage, however, brushed her off, selected the first scroll, and started reading. "I knew it would be something like that." The Hokage finally muttered, looking up at Shizune. "Sai was a traitor acting on Danzou's orders..."

"A traitor?" The messenger said aloud, knowing both men. This would be very bad; he knew without words that he would be carrying orders for an assassination tonight.

"Yes...I'm not surprised, that's why I put 'Yamato' on the team," the Godaime said, almost absently continuing to read the scroll as her face clouded over. "This...is not good. Sakura and 'Yamato' think that the Uchiha brat has used a forbidden scroll or taken part in forbidden medical experiments."

"What does that mean?" Shizune asked nervously, joined by nervous sounding 'ton tons'.

"...That we're running out of time." Tsunade muttered setting the scroll aside and selecting the next one.

If her face had been clouded when she had read about the Uchiha, her face now was a mask of outrage. She glared at the scroll and then up at them. "Get the Niju Shotai ready to move in the morning. After that I want to see the ANBU commander, the Advisors and every other damn jackass in this village that's going to screw with me about military action." 

"W-why?" The messenger asked, taken aback by that command. So many people to wake up, all highly important people, and she wanted to take a military action?

"Because," the Hokage drawled slowly fixing him with a glare that made him cringe, "according to this scroll, the Hidden Cloud village has been decimated. The Raikage is in hiding and the Nibi no Nekomata vessel has been captured."

"But why military action?" Shizune asked curiously, unphased by the news. 

"Because the Hidden Rock have noticed the trend and are asking for some support in a pre-emptive attack on this mysterious group." the Godaime explained with a shrug. "They are also offering an alliance instead of a cease-fire."

Shitei blinked in surprise, fighting the urge to waver. He couldn't believe it; the Cloud were decimated? The Rock going to war and offering an alliance? A Biju had been captured? Then something flashed through his mind. "H-Hokage-sama, what about..."

The Godaime fixed him with another intense stare her voice hard. "I received a report from a reliable source that Naruto will be back within our walls in another week."

"This one is from the Kazekage?" Shizune asked, holding up the remaining scroll.

"Yes." The Hokage snapped, not even glancing at the scroll. "I want you to make it very clear to everyone that you get out of bed--and you can use any means necessary, if you have to--that they will be in the meeting chamber or they will be guilty of treason."

The messenger nodded vigorously before he turned to hurry out and complete his tasks. He had a lot of people to threaten and even more to alert. He stopped suddenly, brought up short by her hard tone, one that brooked no forgetfulness. "Shitei, when Sakura-chan arrives I want her in my office immediately. I want to be done dealing with her well before Naruto-kun arrives."

"Yes Hokage-sama." He bowed, waiting for the next order.

"Also, as soon as Naruto-kun enters the village I want you to get his ass to my office. No questions, no stalling. I see him immediately. If he refuses you get every damn ANBU needed and drag him here!"

"Yes Hokage-sama." Shitei bowed, waiting to see if there was anything else.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" The Godaime bellowed, and he was gone.


	2. Chapter 1: Changing Tides

**Naruto:  
**_Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 1  
_-Konoaguke no Seto:  
Changing Tides-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Naruto yelled happily as he and the small group he was with reached the base of the main village gate. Looking around, he preformed a comical bow to Hinata and Hanabi. "Welcome home!" Laughing, Naruto turned and led the way into the village, almost bouncing from the energy he was feeling. He still wasn't sure about a couple of things about his relationship with Hinata, but damn it, Naruto wanted to find the nearest roof and shout that he had a girlfriend.

Turning, Naruto stared at Kakashi and grinned. "I guess you gotta go give a report now huh?"

Kakashi however, raised an eyebrow looking up from his book. "Hmm? Not my mission..." There was a moment of pointed silence before Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto, blinking, looked at Neji, who smirked and motioned for Hanabi to follow him toward the Hyūga compound, leaving the Tokudan Chūnin and the Hyūga heiress alone.

"Er...I'll walk you home Hina-chan," Naruto said after a moment, scratching the back of his head and sounding slightly nervous; he was still trying to get used to calling her that. Still he liked the sound of her shortened name and she had reacted favorably, Naruto kept using it. Hinata blushed and then nodded, allowing the boy to walk beside her. It had been an exhausting return trip: even with his extraordinary stamina, Naruto was feeling a bit worn down himself.

This was mostly from the training Kakashi had put him through the entire time and repeatedly summoning so many high-level toads. He had, however, kept his enthusiasm up, if for no other reason than to annoy Hanabi to death. The girl seemed to find his endless amounts of energy tooth-gratingly annoying. Her mistake, of course, was mentioning this to Hinata, who--again, of course--casually mentioned it to Naruto.

Hanabi hadn't spoken to either of them since.

"Naruto-kun" Hinata finally said, sounding somewhat timid.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her, blinking, not even noticing the darker stares he was getting. "Something wrong?" For a moment he feared that Hinata might not wish to be seen with him, but he didn't think that was a real big possibility. Still, a small voice at the back of his head said otherwise...

"Anou..." the indigo haired girl said softly. "I-I know...that...maybe you'll want..." She brought herself up short and sighed. "S-sakura-san..."

Naruto blinked, looking over at her. Ok, so maybe he wasn't the only one with doubts. Grinning suddenly, he stepped around and poked her cheeks, his nose inches away from her blushing face. "Oi! Hina-chan, there some other guy you want to date?"

"N-no..." Hinata stammered, looking wounded.

"Great!" Naruto, however, smiled more brightly.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata brought her hand to her mouth.

"Then that's settled. We're dating!" Hands on his hips, he turned to face the avenue and took a deep breath, shouting. "I, Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage, am dating Hyūga Hinata!" He glared at those villagers nearby, eyes flashing with challenge. "Any of you got a problem with that?!"

They all shook their heads nervously.

Naruto turned back to her, pleased to find that, despite her even brighter face--which she was now hiding behind her hands--Hinata was smiling. Reaching out, Naruto moved her hands, playing an odd game of Peek-a-boo. "There, now everybody knows! So ya wanna shout it out too? Just to clear things up?" When she shook her head, obviously embarrassed, Naruto laughed.

"Speechless, huh?"

"Anou..." Hinata mumbled,then,blushing even brighter, shouted out for him. "W-we're dat-ing!"

Naruto then did something completely unexpected: he kissed her nose! He wasn't sure why he did that; he had, of course, wanted to kiss her lips. But instead, he'd kissed her nose. Maybe it was because, despite how brave and confident he was, he was still unused to such physical displays.

Naruto also forgot one simple fact: Hinata was even worse at public displays of affection than he was. Meaning she promptly passed out, but thankfully Naruto caught her easily and hefted her into his arms.

"Well I should probably get you home...I guess..." He smirked. "Or you could stay at my place for a bi-"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto froze at that and turned slowly to see two black grabbed and armored ABNU members, both faces hidden behind animal like masks. "Well, boy does this make me feel good," he muttered, then said aloud: "I-I really was going to take her back to her house!"

The ABNU closest to him, wearing a dog mask, actually chuckled. "We're not here concerning your antics. The Hokage wishes to speak with you. Immediately."

Naruto scowled. "So why send you guys? I mean, not like I'm a bloody Uchiha or anything!" When one in the lead didn't respond immediately, Naruto snorted. "I'll go see that old bat after I get Hinata-chan home."

The other ABNU moved as if to grab the boy when the leader raised his hand halting their advance. "This is a very serious matter. It concerns the village, and she insists that you see her immediately. Please do not make us take you by force."

"Bah." Naruto stuck his chin out. "Stupid baachan..." Grumbling, he performed the necessary seal--clumsily, since he was still holding Hinata--creating a clone to whom he carefully gave Hinata. "Right. Straight to the Hyūgas...no detours." He hesitated, and then grinned sheepishly. "No charging ramen on my account, either."

"Bah." The Naruto Clone grinned, then turned, striding off at a brisk pace.

Grumbling, the blond turned back to the ABNU members, crossing his arms. "Ok, lets go see what the hag wants from me now."

* * *

**NARUTO**

* * *

Hinata came to slowly, her mind fresh with the oddity of Naruto's latest display of affection. Without moving from under the blankets, she crossed her eyes to stare at her nose, then blinked, realizing that she was in her own bed. "H-how..." Hinata mumbled sitting up, bewildered. The last she remembered, she had been in the street with Naruto.

The obvious answer came to her a few minutes later, and she blushed, realizing what it would have looked like.

Still, she smiled wistfully, wishing she could have stayed conscious so that she could enjoy being carried in his arms. Blushing, she stared off into the distance, allowing her imagination to run away from her. Sadly, before she got past her more proper day-dreams, Hinata was yanked back into the real world by the polite, though insistent, knocking at her door.

"Y-yes?" Hinata stuttered, surprised at the sudden sound.

"Are you all right, Hinata-sama?"

"Anou...I am fine." Hinata called, quickly climbing out of her bed moving first to check her appearance. She was, after all a fifteen year old girl, so it was a natural stop for her. Finding that she did not look as horrible as she feared, Hinata moved to the door, sliding it open only a fraction of an inch.

The twelve-year old boy she found on the other side of door made her pause, her mind struggling to put a name to the face. He was vaguely familiar... Oh yes, he had been the one to escort Naruto to the pilgrimage dinner. Hinata remembered Naruto talking about him; he really did look like a young version of Neji. "Denrei-san?"

The boys eyes widened and he flushed faintly. "I...I...um...H-hinata-sama..." He paused, then seemed to gain control over whatever he was feeling. "Hinata-sama, Hūyga-sama would like to see you."

"W-why?" Hinata asked, using the door for a tad more support.

"I do not know; he merely asked that I ask you to met him in his office. He said it was about some clan issues that are very interesting."

"Anou...I see..." Hinata said, readying herself for the trouble she could sense looming. Allowing a small smile to appear, she slid the door open a little wider. "Thank you." Denrei allowed a small smile of his own to appear before bowing in return and striding off on some other important task.

Hinata, however, remained rooted in her spot, chewing her bottom lip nervously. Why did her father wish to see her? Despite their improved relations, he never asked her about missions; Neji or Hanabi were the ones he sought. What could these interesting clan issues be?

Hinata felt her eyes widening. What if he had seen Naruto carry her in? Was he going to tell her about the inappropriateness of such an act? Could he...Would he forbid her from seeing Naruto? Kami that would...that would rip her heart out. Then a small part of her, the part that had given her the courage to change so much, told her exactly what she would do if that was the case.

If her father forbade her from seeing Naruto, then Hinata, the most shy and passive girl in all of Konoha, would loudly refuse. She would leave her father, even if she had to see if one of the other kunoichi would let her move in with them. Where Naruto was concerned Hinata would never allow her father to take him away.

Gathering her strength from that realization, Hinata quickly closed the door and changed into clean clothes before setting off, determined to not back down on this. It took her a moment to realize that she had balled her hands up tightly, just thinking about what might happen with her father.

Coming to a stop in front of the door leading to her father's office, she paused, gathering her resolve yet again before politely knocking. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Hiashi's familiar dignified voice answered, prompting Hinata to tense ever so slightly.

"I will not...anou...I will not back down," Hinata whispered to herself before she opened the door and entered. It was a small room, the air thick with a scent she could remember from her earliest days. Meeting her father's expectant gaze, Hinata closed the door and moved with all the grace she could muster before kneeling politely on the other side of the low table.

Hiashi remained silent for a moment and then calmly lowered his gaze back to the papers before him while retrieving his cup of steaming tea. Hinata bore the silence for as long as she could, watching as this man calmly went about his work as if he had nothing on his mind. Nervous and uneasy, Hinata finally spoke, using all of strength to keep her voice steady. "You wished to see me, Otou-san?"

Hiashi paused, looking up at her with an odd expression on his face. "Yes, I did. I must say however, you seem as if you've grown."

"I...thank you." Hinata mumbled, wondering what this had to do with his disapproval of her relationship with Naruto.

"As for why I wished to see you, I received a cursory report from Neji-san about the pilgrimage, and there were a few things that roused my interest," Hiashi said, returning his focus to the paper work before him. "I merely wanted to hear your views on what he told me."

"M-may I ask what he told you?" Hinata blinked in surprise, was he going to forbid Naruto or not?

"There were various items, some of which I already knew about. Those 'Hyūga' that believe us to be blood traitors for one, though last I heard they were dying out... I was mildly interested in how they are thriving, but that is neither here nor there." Hiashi finished signing something and set it aside, moving onto the next item before him. "However one of the most important items that caught my attention was that during your trip, he mentioned that Hanabi acted very rashly."

Hanabi? Hinata felt her mind relax, realizing that this was about Hanabi and how she reacted. But... This also involved Naruto and that could be bad. So, how should she respond? A half-truth? "Anou...she, she did act rashly once."

"Yes." Hiashi said suddenly looking up at her intently. "However, the reason I find this interesting is the fact that I have never known her to act rashly. Nor have I known her to purposely become antagonistic towards anyone; however, Neji-san also mentioned this occurring."

Hinata suddenly felt very uneasy, knowing that both instances were because of her sister's interaction with Naruto. Hinata would not admit it, but he _had_, indirectly, been the cause of her reactions. Still, Hanabi brought it on herself; but, if her father was intent on using Hanabi's reactions as an excuse "Naruto-san may have caused some of her rashness however, anou, Hanabi provoked him into provoking her."

Hiashi stared at her a moment, then returned to his paperwork. "I spoke with Kurenai-san, and she informed me that you have no missions scheduled until next week."

Hinata blinked, wondering why he wasn't responding to her statement about Naruto and Hanabi? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Her father suddenly paused, looked out the window of the office. "It is a beautiful day today."

"Yes..." Hinata agreed, wondering what was going on.

"According to Neji-san, you have grown quite close to Naruto-san."

Hinata froze, her mind screeching that this was the beginning of what she feared. "Y-yes...Otou-san, I h-have..." Hinata finally stammered, her courage suddenly blossoming.

"I knew that something of this sort might happen during the pilgrimage." Hiashi said, returning his gaze to his paperwork. "I do not wish to take up your entire day. Since you have no missions, perhaps you should relax and prepare for your return to active duty. Training would be a very good idea for tonight."

Hinata suddenly felt like crying. He wasn't even going to give her a chance to speak? Hinata shook her head, refusing to allow such a thing to happen. Opening her mouth to say something, she was brought up short when Hiashi continued, his voice holding total authority.

"That is all we have to discuss." He looked up, giving her a pointed look that said quite clearly that he had said everything he was going to say.

Hinata felt her body relax, much like soaking in a warm bath after a hard day of training. Her father was not going to try to force her to stop seeing Naruto; he was not even going to address the issue. Hinata felt a small smile form, and she bowed politely, praying that she could escape before the kami that had bewitched her strict father fled.

Climbing to her feet, she resisted the urge to skip like an idiot as she moved toward the door with hurried, though restrained, steps.

"Oh and Hinata-otome," Hiashi said casually and Hinata froze, hand on the door. Turning she stared at him, but found him once more concentrating on his paperwork. Was he going to tell her now that she was not allowed to see Naruto? Had he merely raised her hopes to try and crush them brutally?

"Y-yes Otou-san?"

"I expect you home by eleven every night you do not have a mission." Hiashi said without looking up, and Hinata blinked in surprise. When he glanced up, noticing her still standing there, Hinata bowed, quickly mumbled something and retreated from the room.

* * *

**HINATA**

* * *

The Hokage's office was a very large room which, unfortunately, meant that there were an uncountable number of rolled parchments in large cabinets and shelves, towering stacks of paper--reports of various types--nearly reaching the ceiling, and other items the Hokage had to deal with.

Seated before the massive windows that overlooked the village was an equally massive wooden desk, covered with smaller stacks of reports and scrolls. Seated behind this desk, elbows resting on the edge, fingers clasped and pressed against her lips as she stared at the door to her office, was the feared Godaime Hokage.

She was a very attractive woman, there was no denying that, but she was also currently very tired and very angry.

She had never liked politics, not when Konoha was at war years ago. She didn't like politics when she had left. She still didn't like politics. Being Hokage did indeed mean you had to be the strongest of shinobi; that you could inspire or lead people, but it also meant that you had to compromise a lot of things you never meant to.

The compromises weren't all bad because one did have a great deal of power and control, but there were some things you just could not completely control. Tsunade had managed to keep Naruto from being restricted to Konoha--against the Advisors' insistence. She had even managed to make him a Chūnin against their wishes.

Now, however, she was afraid she could do nothing because Naruto was now a pawn in a game that she couldn't do much about. Frowning, the female Sannin stared at the book and scroll set in front of her.

Then, at last, she heard the sound of footsteps and, sure enough, the door opened without so much as a knock, revealing the blond-haired shinobi that had just been dominating her thoughts. He strode into the room, smiling brightly jacket unzipped her grandfather's necklace clear for everybody to see, though something did seem off about him. "Oi, Baachan!"

"..." Tsunade closed her eyes then spoke her voice very serious. "Now is not the time Naruto." Opening her eyes, she stared at a much-more-serious Naruto. That took her by surprise. "Did you file a report?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked puzzled, then snapped his fingers. "I knew I forgot something. I'll do it later."

Tsunade sighed shaking her head before leaning back in her seat and picking up the book, her voice very soft. "This is a gift from our allies in the Land of the Waterfall. You've been there once or twice, correct?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Err...Yea. Ero-Sennin dragged me all over the place...I went there once with Kakashi-sensei too..."

Tsunade nodded and, licking a finger, turned the page. "This is from the Iwa Hidden Village. It's a very interesting book, very informative."

"Whatever. What'd you call me here for?" Naruto groused and Tsunade sighed, turning another page.

"It's a Bingo Book." She gave him a pointed look. "You do know what that means, correct?"

"Huh...yea..." Naruto shrugged. "What's that got to do with the price of rice in Konoha?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, also known as the Number One most Unpredictable or The Unpredictable." Tsunade repeated each word carefully and clearly. Her tone had no hint of pride or disapproval. "Originally from Konoha, currently under the tutelage of the legendary Toad Hermit Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin. His whereabouts are currently unclear and, while both Jiraiya-sama and Uzumaki Naruto claim he is only a Genin, it is assumed that his true rank is that of Jōnin."

She paused once more to give him another pointed look before continuing to read from the book. "He is known to have fought and beaten two Jōnin from Iwagakure. He is also known to have utterly destroyed a medium-sized yakuza family, which was supported by rogue ninja and samurai, located within the Land of Rain. It is rumored, with strong support, that he recently fought and killed an unknown S-ranked ninja within Takigakure. He is the only known candidate for Rokudaime Hokage."

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. Jiraiya had been extremely happy when his own name had showed up in a Bingo book, and she wasn't surprised at the grin he was trying to suppress. "You're listed in a Bingo Book in a foreign village."

"I..." Naruto said before thrusting his hands in the air. "YES!" He was promptly interrupted when the book hit him between the eyes, knocking him on his ass. Rubbing at his forehead, he glared at the Hokage, then, grabbing the book, stood up. "What the hell are you-"

"You baka!" she cut him off, rising from her seat, hands pressing down against the desk top. "Think about it! You already have the Akatsuki after you, and now you want to make every ninja that wants to make a name for themselves to start hunting you!"

"What are you talking about you old bat!" Naruto shouted, picking up the book. "How could having my name in a book do that?!"

"IT SAYS YOU'RE THE FUTURE HOKAGE!" Tsunade bellowed, slamming her hand on the desk so hard that the legs snapped off. "That's like painting a damn bullseye on your back for enemy ninja!"

"Shit!" Naruto cursed, looking a tad worried, then seemed to relax. "B-but I'm only in one Bingo book...R-right?"

Tsunade snorted sitting back down in her chair heavily. "If only. I'm sorry to say it Naruto, but as of now your listed in all the Hidden Village Bingo Books. We keep tabs on each others' books; they're not highly-kept secrets after all."

"O-oh," Naruto gulped, looking uneasy. "D-does that mean I'm l-listed in Konoha bingo books?" Tsunade shot him a dark glare and he gulped again. Tsunade, however, knew she had more to explain to him...and more to make very clear to him. Sighing, she picked up the sealed scroll and held it out to him.

"This is from the Council..." Seeing his searching look as he took it from her, stuffing the book in his pocket, she continued. "It's an official decree from the Clans and Council of Konohagakure. Uzumaki is now an officially recognized Konohagakure no Sato Clan."

Naruto held that scroll as if it was made out of delicate glass.

Tsunade had known he'd feel this way, that he'd view it as the village taking a step toward allowing him a chance of acceptance. Maybe, in a way, it was, but he needed to know that there were other things involved.

"I-I..." He paused, looking up at her with such mixed emotions that she actually didn't want to tell him. He broke the seal slowly and scanned the writing inside, and Tsunade almost swore that she saw a tear in an eye. It wasn't there when he looked back at her; he did, however, look confused and fearful. "W-why...how...?"

Running a hand over her mouth the Hokage sighed leaning back in her chair. "It was a decision they made at the request of Hyūga Hiashi." She paused, closing her eyes. "You could have had an official clan anyway...it just would have been a much longer process."

When she opened her eyes she saw Naruto scowling at her, as if he was trying to work something out. She waited very patiently, wondering what conclusion he'd reach.

"Why?"

Tsunade hesitated a second, then sighed. "I think that part of all this is political. The other is that, for some reason, the Hyūga are interested in you." Seeing his doubt, she shook her head, pinching her nose. "Keep reading that scroll. At a request from Hyūga Hiashi the Council has granted you the grounds of a very short-lived Clan. It is located in an older part of the Clan district."

Naruto immediately did as ordered, his face paling and then he looked up at her. "No way in hell!"

"...it's an established fact. The home is on the outskirts of the Clan district boundaries."

"B-but why?!" Naruto said, eyes wide. "This makes no sense! How could this even work in politics?!"

Shaking her head Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Every so often the Hyūga start power struggles; the most notable is rumored to be the founding of the Uchiha Clan. They took a just emerging dōujutsu bloodline and, for some damn strange reason, made sure that they married into the Hyūga. The result was the Sharingan and a minor Clan civil war over whether they were actually part of the Hyūga."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his weight. "Damn it..." He looked down at the ground. "What else could happen today?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, tapping a fingernail on the arm of her chair. "We'll discuss a few more things later, but before I let you go, I have to..." She paused, making a tisking sound. "Has anyone ever explained to you the exact difference between a Chūnin and a Tokudan Chūnin?"

"Err..." Naruto looked at her blankly. "Not really; Kakashi-sensei said that it was very rare..."

"Rare?" Tsunade actually managed a smirk. "One of the last Tokudan Chūnin was during Konoha's conflict with the Iwagakure. The main difference is a Tokudan Chūnin earned their rank in the field, which is really hard to do. To even have a chance of that you have to be put up for it by your immediate superior, which, in this case, both that lecherous excuse for a ninja and Kakashi qualify as."

"I...so they both?" Naruto asked confused and Tsunade grinned.

"Yes, both put you up for it. Currently there is only one other Tokudan Chūnin."

"Who?"

"Inuzuka Kiba." Tsunade grinned, watching the mildly surprised look on his face, but he didn't explode in rants about how that flea bitten boy didn't deserve it. Somehow she found that disappointing. Actually, this entire conversation had been disappointing. She kept hoping to see the Naruto she remembered. Well, at least this last bit would bring the old Naruto out to play.

"Well that's it, you're free to go. Sakura-san's probably at the Yamanaka Flower sh-" She paused however as the boy just stood there, reading the scroll in his hands once more.

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked, looking up at her, then scratched the back of his head. "Oh yea, how'd her mission go?"

"That's it?" Tsunade said, leaning forward. "You're not gonna tear outta here like a bat out of hell?"

Naruto blushed, chuckling. "I, umm...see..." he suddenly began laughing nervously.

"Yes?" Tsunade said, leaning forward even more, eyes wide.

"Huh," Naruto suddenly put a hand to his stomach. "RAMEN!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Tsunade bellowed, reaching out across the desk and smacking him over the head, which knocked him on his ass. The blond rubbed his head, grumbling as he glared up at her. Tsunade, however, was grinning like a little kid in a candy shop. "You can't just drop that stuttering routine and leave. Something is up and I want to know what it is!"

"OI!" Naruto said bounding back to his feet, lifting his jaw up. "You can't just smack me around, Baachan!"

The Hokage smirked and lifted a finger, reminding him silently of the truth. Inwardly her mind was racing. Little Naruto had a girlfriend, and, if she wasn't mistaken, the only possibility was Hinata! Cute, shy, little Hinata! The two remained stationary, glaring at each other, and then Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Well?"

"I'm not telling you!" Naruto shouted at her.

"Oh..." Tsunade nodded decisively; she'd teach this brat if that was how he was going to act. "I almost forgot. There is one more thing to take care of..." selecting a large stack of paperwork she hefted them, then smiling held them out for him. "Tokudan Chūnin do have one unique factor to them besides the way you earn the rank."

Naurto, confused, reached out and took the paper. "What are you talking about?"

"Well...Tokudan Chūnin are sent to the academy as teachers' aides." Seeing the sickened look on Naruto's face, she grinned sweetly. "I'm so glad you stayed around long enough for me to remember. You start tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" Naruto bellowed, and Tsunade just grinned; ah yes, how nice it was to have things back to normal.

* * *

**TSUNADE**

* * *

Hiashi moved with slow, precise movements, holding his robe's sleeve up as he poured himself a cup of warm green tea. Setting the ancient teapot back in its proper place, he hesitated before picking the white and blue cup. He paused, considering the taste, then nodded, satisfied. Setting his cup down, he scanned the private meeting room, which was as sparse and dim as ever.

There was even a faint trace of sakura blossom incense, which his late wife had always preferred; he would have preferred sandalwood, but he did it to honor his first wife. Reflecting on his past, he smiled faintly. He held those memories of her dearly. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Memories would not settle matters and help him achieve his goal. Hiashi did nothing without a reason, nor did he do things because he was a cruel man. Behind all of his decisions there was one goal: The Family. Casting Hinata out ensured that she would grow stronger, removed from the pampered life of a Hyūga princess. He had realized early on that she would never be the heir he needed, nor would she become strong enough to survive without being forced out into the world of life and death.

Picking up his cup once more, he took a sip before studying the still surface of the liquid. In many ways he was doing what he had always told his brother he would do; he had lost sight of his goal of a long time until that night.

However, from that moment, he had set things into motion.

Hanabi would arrive soon; he glanced at the single door to the room. Hanabi, too, served his purpose: she would be the Leader that the Clan would need if his goal came to pass. She would be fair, and she would think five moves ahead of everybody. Hanabi would ensure that his changes would not be undone or corrupted.

He set his cup down, looking away from the door an instant before it slid open halfway to reveal the slim figure of his youngest daughter. She stood there for a moment, then, bowing, entered, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Otou-sama," she said in a respectful tone, and the man shifted his gaze, feeling no sense of fatherly pride in how well she was developing. Nodding at her, he looked back down at the tea, listening as the whisper of her robe told him that she was moving to the other side of the table.

Hanabi knelt perfectly and, without prompting, poured herself a cup of green tea without spilling a drop. Neither said a word for a very long time, settling instead on sipping at their respective cups of tea. Hiashi was weighing options, deciding if it was time to press his full advantage; it would become a moot point when Naruto showed up, as he obviously would.

"Otou-sama, may I ask why you gave Naruto-san _that_ Clan's estate?"

"He did me a favor." Hiashi paused judging how best to explain himself. "I have heard reports from Kurenai-san and others. Naruto-san has given Hinata the confidence to grow and change; that is important to the Clan." That was the truth because he had plans for her other than as the Heir.

"Otou-sama," Hanabi said after a moment, and Hiashi shifted his attention away from his thoughts and onto the girl across of him.

Yes, he had no choice. He'd set things in motion and they had all achieved the results more quickly than he had anticipated. "The ceremony will take place on your twelfth birthday," Hiashi said plainly, sipping his tea. "What did you learn from the pilgrimage?"

Hanabi was silent for a few minutes, and Hiashi knew, despite her training to betray no clue about her thoughts, that she was changing her initial answer. Wise leaders never said what they truly thoughts and Hanabi would be a wise leader.

"The weak must depend on the strong, but sometimes the weakest may be the strongest."

Hiashi nodded, wondering whether or not he should praise her for the answer. He decided against it; lavishly praising obvious answers was a waste of time. "When I speak with Hinata, I will inform her of the decision to allow you to be the heir; I am sure she will not protest too much."

"Otou-sama," Hanabi said slowly, "will you really place her into the branch family now?"

"It is out of my hands. I stalled as much as I could." Hiashi retrieved his tea and took another sip. "However..."

"Hn?"

"What would you call Hinata in the Game?" Hiashi asked after a moment, already knowing what he would do.

"A pawn or a castle."

Hiashi nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Would you sacrifice her in the Game to prove a point and achieve a bigger prize?"

"Yes." Hanabi paused, thinking slowly. "What prize are you thinking of father?"

"The Elders still refuse to allow the disuse of the Juni Jutsu." Hiashi took another sip of the tea. "They would balk if I would 'sacrifice' Hinata using a certain law."

"What is the law?"

Hiashi smiled, holding a hand up and turning toward the door seconds before it slid open to reveal a Branch family member who bowed. "Hiashi-sama, I am sorry to disturb you, but there is a young man here insisting loudly that he would like to speak with you."

"I was expecting him." Hiashi answered and, when the man closed the door and retreated, the older man turned back to his daughter. "In the Game, what would you say Naruto-san is?"

"A castle," Hanabi answered simply. "Maybe a Bishop." Hiashi nodded, a faint smile on his face, pleased that she had kept her feelings hidden. "What would you consider him Otou-sama?"

"Yes, I agree, he could easily be a Bishop...possibly even a King," Hiashi answered. Yes, a king easily. In the Game Naruto was quickly becoming a valuable piece, and Hiashi was determined to use him as his own. Until the Chūnin exam two years ago he hadn't even given the blond much thought--there was, indeed, a bit of distaste in his mind concerning the boy--but there were things that outweighed that.

For instance, Naruto's match against Neji had given him an extremely talented and intensely loyal protector for his daughters. Seeing Hanabi's questioning look, he set his cup down to explain himself. "You know of course that he is favored by the Godaime Hokage, as well as training with one of the famous Sannin. He has also begun to gain a great deal of respect from important Jōnin and ABNU."

"I can see how that could make him a Bishop, but how does that make him a possible king?"

"Think it through," Hiashi answered slowly, hating that he still had to guide her at moments like this. He kept his displeasure from escaping him, though. "Remember what I have always told you: judge nothing until you have thought everything through."

"Naruto-san is in a very good position to become Hokage, obviously." Hanabi paused mulling it over. "If he does not, I suppose his respect would at least grant him a great deal of influence within Konoha."

"You may learn something yet," Hiashi responded then motioned for her to move to the side of the table. "Now, watch."

Seconds later, the door slid open to reveal a tall boy with wild blond hair dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit. The blond scanned the room and then entered, pausing when Hiashi offered a polite half-bow. "Hello Naruto-san."

"Eh?" the blond managed, blinking in surprise.

Hiashi motioned easily to the space that Hanabi had just vacated. "Please join us. We were just discussing a game."

"Whatever," Naruto muttered, moving over to sit down heavily.

Hiashi had to stifle his grin, as serious and stiff as he was, there were times he truly enjoyed such uncouthness. It came in handy to have pieces who were so unpredictable. Taking a sip of his tea, he waited for a moment, then said what he knew to be true. "You wished to speak with me about something?"

"Yea," Naruto said, uncaring of his tone or politeness. "I want to know what exactly you're up to."

"I am up to nothing," Hiashi said evenly setting is cup down, making sure to lock an intimidating gaze on the boy. "You did the Hyūga Clan a great favor and it is our custom to reward those who do so. You have been given an old compound and knowing, that you have never had a family or clan, I merely expedited certain matters."

"I just wanted to make things clear. Baachan thinks this is all about politics. I know better." Naruto suddenly looked very serious. "You can't buy me off; I'm going to keep seeing Hinata wither you want me to or not."

Hiashi almost laughed at that, if not for the bravery then for the sheer audacity. The Hyūga leader didn't laugh, however. Instead, he took another sip of his tea, measuring the silence, then nodded. "By all means. I have no problems with you dating my daughter."

"I don't care what you say! I'm dating her and you..." Naruto paused, suddenly sheepish, reaching up to rub his neck. "Uh...er...you don't?"

"No." Hiashi responded simply. "As a Founder of a Konoha Clan, you are, by Hyūga custom, allowed to court my daughter. My personal preferences have no bearing on this matter."

"But...uh," Naruto suddenly stood up, looking uncertain. "I...I'm going to go and see Hinata-chan."

"Of course." Hiashi said in dismissal and then, once the blond was gone, he sipped at his tea, waiting for Hanabi's questions.

"Otou-sama," Hanabi said slowly, not moving from her position. "You called him a Founder of a Konoha clan..."

"Remember? I mentioned there was a new Konoha clan when you first returned..." Hiashi answered, refilling his cup. Seeing that she was being patient he rewarded her. "Naruto-san is a clan founder, which allows me to exercise a law which allows any Main branch daughter, after her fifteenth birthday, to seek her own acceptable suitor."

"Then..." Hanabi froze, a look of understanding on her face. "You made certain that Naruto-san could be an acceptable suitor, while allowing Hinata-neesan to seek him." Hanabi shook her head, gazing at her father with deep respect. "The Elders will give you anything to keep them from continuing that path."

"You speak far too much," Hiashi said, but he was pleased that she had grasped the obviousness of his Game. Unfortunately, she would never know the truth. Yes, he was sacrificing his daughter to gain what he wished; the elimination of the Juni Jutsu, which he could never achieve without her.

Yet, there was another truth that even Hinata would never understand, a truth that he would never admit. His first wife had asked only one thing of him before her death, and since it served the clan anyway, he was willing to permanently remove Hinata from the Hyūga Clan to keep that promise.

_For you Kanokami, I will make our daughter happy._

Hiashi took a sip of his tea and glanced at Hanabi, knowing that there could be worse things than for his daughter to be married to the next potential Hokage.

* * *

**HIASHI**

* * *

The Konoha marketplace was a vast area with a constant flow of noise and crowds. It was, of course, a sure sign that the village was flourishing. With such large groups of people, it was easy for a single girl to blend into the background, even one from such a well-known family as the Hyūga. All it took was for her to blend into the various Shinobi groups who were grabbing a quick lunch, shopping or relaxing.

Since she had no missions for the next week, Hinata had been very unsure of what to do exactly. Then of course she had remembered that she should buy Naruto a present for his Chūnin promotion. Thus she had set out with a self-appointed task, to buy Naruto something. Many girlfriends did that, buying things for their boyfriends.

Hinata kept struggling to wrap her mind around the concept that she was Naruto's girlfriend. Most regular village girls bought small trinkets, necklaces or shirts. Ninja girls bought things of a much more practical nature. Hinata was unsure of which category she fit in, but she did know exactly what to buy.

He was a Chūnin now and, even though he had been overjoyed about that fact, he had refused point blank to wear the green flak vest that usually went with the rank. This of course gave her the perfect present, when combined with a new forehead protector. Thankfully, she had enough money to get it; her only real problem would be to figure out which shop in which to get her present.

Her quest for Naruto's present was disrupted when Sakura and Ino bumped into her.

"Hey! Watch where you're..." Ino started to say before bringing herself up short. "Oh, it's you Hinata."

Hinata nodded, looking between the two girls, wondering how Naruto could have ever picked her over the pink-haired girl. "Anou, sorry Ino-san, Sakura-san. I was...distracted." She hesitated, shifting her weight.

"That's OK, Hinata-chan. We were just going to get something to eat; you want to join us?" Sakura said, smiling faintly, though Hinata thought it looked a tad depressed.

"Anou...is something wrong?"

"No," Sakura answered, taking a deep breath. "Just a bit disappointed with my last mission. It didn't go like I had hoped."

"Next time Naruto will be with you." Ino said brightly and Sakura snorted crossing her arms. Chuckling Ino shifted her gaze back to Hinata. "So what are you doing?"

"Anou..." Hinata managed, blushing despite herself. "Naruto-kun, he...umm...he's a Chūnin now..."

"WHAT?!" both girls shouted, and Hinata nodded, taking a step back.

"I was buying him something."

"Bu-but how did he get that?" Ino asked

"He...he was in charge of a mission to protect me and Hanabi-neechan." Hinata shifted her weight again. "It was a field commission."

"Wow..." Ino said impressed. "Did you think he could do that, Sakura?"

The pink-haired ninja smiled faintly, nodding her head as she locked eyes with Hinata. "He can do lots of things..." Turning the girl smiled at her friend. "Come on, we should let Hinata get her shopping done."

The blonde nodded and then waving goodbye both took off, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. Hinata, however, couldn't help but wonder what that look Sakura had given her had meant. Could the pink-haired girl have been stating a challenge, or offering some sort of support? Hinata didn't know, and worrying about it didn't do her much good, so she continued on her way, entering a shop that she felt would be suitable.

"Welcome to...oh Hyūga Hinata!" The older man who owned the business beamed. "It's been a while since you've been in here. Not since..."

Hinata smiled faintly, moving toward the counter. "Neji-niisan's birthday. "

"Right, right." The older man said, smiling. "So what brings you by?"

"Anou..." Hinata paused, then smiled. "M-my b-boyf-fri..." Her words trailed off and cursing her cowardice lifted her chin steeling herself. "My boyfriend has...umm...he's a Chūnin now and I'd like to get him a different type of flak vest...and a new forehead protector."

"Oh?" The older man said, suddenly looking very serious. "Well then, if he is that important to you I will give it my utmost."

"T-thank you..." Hinata flushed, looking around anxiously.

"So what color did you have in mind?" The man asked, gathering his tape measure and scissors and moving around the counter to stand in front of the blushing girl.

"Orange and black..."

* * *

**Hinata**

* * *

Naruto had wandered the streets of Konoha before; he had done it several times over his short lifetime. He hadn't, however, ever wandered into the Clan area--the Hyūga didn't count, since they lived in an area separated from pretty much everyone--a place reserved for the homes of Konoha ninja Clans. To say he felt a little awkward was the understatement of the century.

Many of the Clan homes were just that: homes, like any other in the village made of wood and metal and sometimes brick. Some were very traditional-looking homes with walls that ran the entire border of their land. He had no clue what the one he was looking for would look like. Possibly something like the current Hyūga estate but, on a smaller scale, he thought.

However, he wasn't able to focus to clearly since walking the wide street between the various clan homes caused him to pass under the scrutiny of adults, adults who knew exactly what he was carrying. And, while their looks were not really hateful--cold was more like it--he could sense the distrust radiating through the air. In all actuality, as much as he appreciated Hiashi's--who was still a bastard, if a respectable one, in Naruto's opinion--gesture in giving him the old estate, he just didn't feel like he belonged in this type of place.

As a matter of fact, if it weren't for the fact that, for some reason, his landlord had finally kicked him out--something about having a lucrative offer--and all of his stuff, under the Hokage's orders, had been transfered to his new home, he wouldn't be here at all.

Sighing, he kicked a rock, watched it bounce along before it glanced of the shin of a guard who was standing in front of a Clan home. Eyes wide, he hurried past, seeing the annoyed gaze on the man's face. Yeesh, why couldn't he just have been given a room in the Hyūga estate? It was peaceful there and the Branch family actually seemed to like him!

Ok...so he really just wanted to be near Hinata. Maybe she would like to stay with him in the new estate. He carefully kept his seemingly increasing libido from reacting to that thought! Stopping he glared at the various alley ways that shot off to the sides leading to even more streets and his frustration reached critical mass.

"WHERE THE HELL IS IT!"

He paused, chest heaving, feeling better at having gotten that out of his system. He had only a second before he felt a presence, which did not sit well with him since he recognized it from earlier in the day. Turning, he found himself staring up slightly at the dog like mask of the ABNU.

Oh yea his day was just getting better and better.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh come on!" Naruto groused staring at the figure in front of him. "Why can't you just say Naruto or Uzumaki or something? Why both of my names?!"

"...I was asked, because I was in the area, to escort you to your Clan estate." The dog-masked ABNU paused, a touch of amusement in the voice. "Of course, if you would _rather_ stand here and rave like a lunatic, I'm not going to stop you."

"..." Naruto blinked, then shouted his response. "I'm not the lunatic here! That's you! Running around in a bunch of black gear and a freakin dog mask!"

"Well it is better than...say...wearing a green leotard and having a bowl hair cut," the figure said, and there was a moment of silence before Naruto started laughing. "Yea funny, now let's get going." Still laughing, Naruto nodded in agreement and followed the ABNU who was walking with a great deal of dignity for having a fox walking at his side laughing.

* * *

**NARUTO**

* * *

"So..." Ino said, taking a bite of her food. "I thought for sure that you would be over at Naruto's place by now." Sakura laughed, and the blonde blinked slowly. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"It's not that." Sakura said waving a hand. "It's just that...it's best to let him unwind from a mission before trying to talk with him."

"Huh? Why would that be a good idea?" Ino inquired as she paused in eating.

Sakura grinned. "Naruto has started reviewing his missions...I mean _really _reviewing them. He goes through them with anybody and everybody if he gets half a chance. At first I used to think he was just doing it to brag, but after he had reviewed our mission to rescue the Kazekage twenty times I realized he just likes reviewing the damn things."

"So? Asuma-sensei does that, and sometimes Shikamaru, though he claims it's too troublesome to do all the time..." Ino laughed.

"Yea, but do they try and reenact them using Kage Bunshins or trying to get you involved in recreating them?" Sakura deadpanned. Shaking her head she sighed. "Besides that, he'll be a ball of energy and want to go eat and I'm really not interested in subjecting myself to the latest chorus of the 'Ramen chant'."

"Ahhh..." Ino said with a grin. "Now I understand Forehead-girl."

"What was that Ino-Pig?" Sakura growled, green eyes narrowing.

"Nothing." Ino said quickly, looking far too innocent to be convincing. "I do have to ask, though, don't you think it'd be better to tell him what you've learned on this last mission before your next team meeting?"

Sakura glared at her friend, then sighed, looking down at her own plate. "No. He can't go past the Fire Country boarders, remember?"

"Oh yea..." Ino frowned. "I still don't get why."

"You know how the Hūyga always have Cloud ninja after them?" Sakura said, frowning as if she wasn't sure she should be explaining this.

"Yea, for their bloodline right?" Ino said, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, Naruto has a unique condition..."

"What does that mean?"

"I can't explain... But, there's this group of rogue ninja, all S-ranked and they want him because of this condition, and Konoha doesn't want them to have him."

"Huh?!" Ino blinked staring at her. "Geez, he's getting interesting..."

"Hey, you have Neji remember?" Sakura smirked, pointing her fork at her friend. "Oh, you said you had something to tell me..."

Ino nodded and silence settled over both kunoichi for several long minutes before Ino made her announcement. "Neji finally made up his damn mind."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sakura said, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Meh, he was a little too cold for me anyway. Besides, I'm not a sharer. So, watch out girls, I'm back on the hunt."

Sakura giggled, covering her mouth which prompted Ino to suddenly appear thoughtful. "Hmmm...maybe I should see if Naruto would-" At Sakura's abrupt silence Ino grinned a little more. "What's the matter?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her friend, a dangerous aura radiating off her. "Keep away from Naruto, Ino-pig."

Ino blinked then grinned even more before snorting. "Like hell I will Forehead-girl!" From there the conversation broke down into an argument that those around them completely ignored, having become used to it over the last two years, during which it had become an everyday event.

* * *

**SAKURA**

* * *

Naruto's mouth had reached the floor after seeing the house he would be residing in. The wall--which was crumbling in spots--separated the house from the rest of the world and stretched from one end of the block to the other. The entrance garden was overgrown with weeds, and the house itself looked somewhere between a disaster and salvageable: the walls were cracked, the wooden posts splintered and the tiles missing. The doors looked as if they were just barely able to close.

After his initial shock, however, he relaxed. It was nothing worse than what his old apartment building had been like. He could fix this, or he thought he could. If worse came to worse, he could see if he could get one of those perverted teachers of his to help him. "So, this it?"

Turning, he glanced at the ANBU escort who nodded. "Yea...would you like a tour?"

"Eh, why not." Naruto allowed glancing at the man. "Oi, do you have a name or do I gotta call you 'Doggy?'"

"I could tell you," the ANBU said, his tone serious, "but then I'd have to kill you."

"Err..." Naruto said, taking a step away from the man. While he wasn't actually afraid, he had the unmistakable feeling that this man was not playing.

"Good, let's go; I do have other things to do besides babysit you." The ANBU remarked, walking away from the boy and into the house.

"What was that?!" Naruto shouted, hurrying after the man.

Twenty minutes later, with the two bickering constantly, they had completed the tour of the house. The inside had been a very traditional design, with delicate wood and rice paper. It was also very dark and creepy, plus the private courtyard was ill-kept, with debris of all sorts and a large tree.

Naruto could only think of one word to sum up his thoughts. "Yeesh. What kind of clan lived here?"

"A clan obsessed with privacy and paranoia," the ANBU said absently, cautiously leaning against a cracked post. "I'm sure you didn't notice it, but there are seals carved into the various joints and seams of this place. It was designed for both security and privacy."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked looking at the man.

"This clan was made up of a family that was obsessed with security, and they designed this place to be completely secure. They sealed it so that no jutsu outside of the family type could be used anywhere on the grounds. Stepping through the gate rendered enemy Jutsu effectively useless... Rumor claimed that included Bloodlines, or, at least, it was supposed to."

"Supposed to?" Naruto said scratching his ear, mind working over the information.

"Yea, the report said that the seals backfired... They're dormant now, but nobody has wanted to risk living here after that incident."

"Oh that's just wonderful," Naruto muttered. Just what he needed, a house that could kill him at a moment's notice. Yet, his interest was piqued. After all, he had learned seals from Ero-sennin, along with the man's interest in paranoia. So, naturally, the concept that he could have access to a home that could potentially render all forms of jutsu--including bloodlines--useless was of great interest.

Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all. If he could get the seals to work right and adjust them to allow only his jutsu, then he could protect himself from Akatsuki and everyone else, barring Lee. That was essential to his continued peace of mind and health.

Plus, pranks could be plotted with much more secrecy once he was pretty much invisible to the rest of the world. Lifting his fingers, he grinned even more. "Kage Bunshin!" Seconds later, he had a small army of clones, each sharing his grin. "Oi! Lets get to work!"

"Yatta!" They shouted in unison.


	3. Chapter 2: Reestablishing Ties

**Naruto:   
**_Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 2  
_-Konoaguke no Seto:  
Reestablishing Ties-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

It was the silence that woke him up; he still wasn't used to that. Opening his blue eyes to slits, the blond who was stretched out on his sleeping bag in the training area, groaned, seeing the barely blue sky. He had spent a good portion of his night trying to repair his new home, and it wasn't until around one in the morning that he had finally decided to get some sleep.

Of course, he had gone hunting for his furniture, and, when it turned up missing, he had panicked. Which meant his house had been filled with two dozen clones who had hunted high and low, only to discover that all he had left to his name were three boxes. After his anger had burned long enough to invent a few interesting phrases, he had grabbed his sleeping bag and gone to sleep.

Or, at least, he had meant to, but something else Naruto hadn't counted on was the fact that within a village, insects did not make much noise. After two and half years of training, he had grown so used to the noise that the lack of it disturbed his sleep. The only reason he had never noticed that before was because he had spent very little time actually sleeping in Konoha since his return.

Grunting, Naruto sat up, knocking his sleeping hat off his head and stifling a yawn. Sitting there, waking up slowly, he found himself staring at the single tree in the training yard. Then, slowly, his mind turned toward a few questions that he had only barely considered yesterday before storming off to confront Hiashi. What did Hiashi really want? How could he be politically important?

There was no reason that Naruto saw, other than trying to bribe the boy into stop seeing his daughter.

But Hiashi had said he didn't mind that. So, why? Was it merely all of his pent-up good karma finally coming into play? Had Naruto overly impressed Hiashi during his first and only Chūnin exam?

He didn't get it.

"Screw it," Naruto finally muttered, shaking his head in frustration before he fell backwards. The real question was why in the bloody hell did Kakashi want to see him? It couldn't be for training, the closest the man had come to doing that was on the way back when he had explained nature manipulation and handed him a piece of paper and had him cut it with his chakra.

After that, the man had explained about the Kage Bunshin and then...nothing.

So if it wasn't training then the other possibility had to be a mission, but that was impossible it was too soon. Sighing in frustrated the blond closed his eyes, his temples throbbing, what possible reason could he have for wasting more of Naruto's time?

Hell, Naruto hadn't even gotten around to seeing Sakura yesterday because he had been so wrapped up in trying to fix up his new house.

He brightened a little, however, remembering that he would at least get to see Sakura when he saw Kakashi. He brightened even more, though, when he remembered he was meeting with Hinata for some ramen before he had to do anything else including spending the rest of his time at the academy.

He was disturbed from his musings when a sandaled foot, belonging to a thick leg that was encased in a pair of green pants, landed inches from his face. Lifting his blue eyes, Naruto looked up, past the green over shirt and red robe into the almost youthful face of his white haired, infamous sensei who always wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for oil.

"Brat! I thought I taught you to be more aware of your surroundings!" Naruto silently cursed and, grumbling, he once more sat up, turning toward his sensei and scowling. "What if I was using an assassination technique on you!?"

"Then I would be dead," Naruto muttered, staring at the man darkly. "Then again, you would have died painfully when the Kyubi brought me back."

Jiraiya snorted and plopped down, crossing his arms. "So, how'd you manage to get yourself set up like some sorta Clan chief?"

"Ahahaha..." Naruto laughed nervously, scratching at the back of his head. "I don't really understand it... but...I sorta...am a Clan chief."

"What does that mean?" the Sannin asked, and he listened intently to every word that Naruto said as he explained the situation. When Naruto finished, the man nodded sagely, rubbing his chin, before sighing. "As much as I hate to admit it, Tsuande's right. This has to be political, though why anyone would want to let an annoying brat like you keep dating their daughter is beyond me."

"Ye-Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, realizing that the man had just insulted him.

"Oh, that reminds me..." Jiraiya said without even noticing his student's reaction, a lecherous smile on his face as he leaned forward, fingers moving in an odd pattern. "She's that really quiet and shy girl, right? Hehehe...you know what they say right? It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for!"

"Oi!" Naruto shook his fist at the old man. "Don't talk about Hinata-chan like that!"

"Punk! Don't you remember who I am?!" Jiraiya shouted.

"An old perverted man!" Naruto shouted back.

"What was that runt?!" Jiraiya shouted, hitting the boy on top of his head.

"BASTARD!" Naruto shouted, and things quickly escalated into an all-out brawl between sensei and student.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

* * *

Sunshine poured from the crystal-clear blue sky, bathing the ninja that roamed the street in a comfortable warmth. The street itself was one of the few that ran the whole length of Konoha, intersecting with various other streets. It also happened to lead directly to a series of stores that could break the bank accounts of almost every ninja and villager without trying.

Weaving through this street, smiling brightly and waving at everyone, was the pink-haired ninja known as Haruno Sakura. She was familiar, of course, because Tsunade bought high-end sake from one of the stores and often used Sakura to perform said errand. Still, she was known, and that was the important thing. Well, that and the fact that she had her own expense account with the Hokage's office.

It had been meant for use in buying special medical items or the occasional new outfit. Once Sakura had even used it to buy Shizune a birthday present. Now that she was on her lunch break hunting for a congratulation present to give Naruto, that expense account was going to come in very handy.

Sakura, for all of her faults, was actually very proud of Naruto. As she had told one of the few acquaintances she had at the hospital, only one other person had gotten the same type of promotion. So, of course, she would have to buy him something; he would have done that for her.

Which brought her back to the real problem of what to get the blond. First, there was the problem of what Hinata was getting him: there would be nothing worse than giving the same present. Sadly, however, that particular girl had been closed-mouthed about what she had in mind. So, Sakura would have to use the process of logical rejection.

Clothes would definitely be out; Naruto had more than his fair share of orange and black outfits. From what she understood about the Kyubi and Naruto himself, those high class soldier pills a lot of Jōnin were fond of were out as well. He didn't like sake or have a taste for anything remotely pornographic -thank the gods!- so there really wasn't a whole lot left to buy him.

Actually, the list of things she could buy him were limited to three types: weapons, books and, of course, ramen. Needless to say, in Sakura's opinion, shopping for Uzumaki Naruto was a very frustrating process. Still, the girl wouldn't give up on this. Checking her watch, Sakura winced, realizing just how much of her break had been wasted.

She had twenty minutes to finish her shopping, make it back to the hospital to finish her morning shift and then meet up with Naruto for a team meeting. If only she had been clever enough to weasel the information out of Hinata about what she was buying him, then she would have a clue for her own present. Shaking her head, she decided to play it moderately safe and settled on weapons, which led her into the nearest high-end weapons shop.

Prominently on display, thus intended to draw the most attention, were oddly designed makibishi, kama, juute, kunai, sai, kusarigama, katana and even armored gloves. Sakura studied each one, trying to determine which one would best suit the boy she knew. She picked up each item, weighing it in her hands. True, weight had very little meaning for her now, but she could still tell the difference between them. For one moment, her green eyes came to a rest on a large axe that she would have loved to heft, but moved on, remembering she was shopping for Naruto.

Selecting a pair of armored gloves, she weighed them, then, noticing a notch on the end of the armor plate, tried it on. Clenching her fist in suspicion, she smiled warily as a blade hissed into existence from the notch just above her knuckles. Well, it would be a good backup present if she couldn't find anything else.

Actually, as she placed the glove back on the counter, she wondered why she was bothering with all of this. A short walk to that ramen stand he loved so much and she could buy him some free ramen coupons, which would send Naruto over the moon. Yet, she couldn't do that. For some reason, it was _important_ to her that she gave as much thought to his present as he would give to hers. That decided, she set the bladed gloves down and considered the other weapons.

She was distracted, however, as the chimes over the doorway jangled together in an odd melody. Turning, Sakura found herself looking at a startled-looking Hinata. "Hinata?" The other girl blinked owlishly and then nodded, moving toward her.

"Sakura-san."

Walking quickly, she joined the confused girl, smiling slightly. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you in here."

"Anou...my family has an account," Hinata mumbled before offering her own faint smile. "Naruto-kun, he uhm, used all of my weapons on the mission...so..."

"Oh!" Sakura said giggling slightly. "I understand."

Hinata nodded, then blinked again, looking at her intently. "Anou...uhm, Sakura-san are you here, uh...buying something?"

"Wha? No," Sakura said feeling oddly flustered for a moment, then shook it off. "Well, not really. I'm trying to figure out what to buy Naruto. I mean, since he's a Chūnin now and all."

"Oh," Hinata said, then looked away, her eyes fixing on something over Sakura's shoulder. Hinata was silent for several moments, then turned her attention to her once more. "A-anou, I'd better...go..."

Sakura blinked, then nodded, feeling oddly uneasy. "Yeah, I've got to get back to the hospital, too... Team meeting, too..." Smiling reservedly, Sakura started past the other girl, only to stop and look back. "Hey Hinata?"

"Y-yes?"

Sakura moved back to the pale-eyed girl and lowered her voice, deciding that it was best to forewarn the girl about any possible mischief on Ino's end. "Ino-pig said something about going after Naruto last night. I _think_ she was joking around-"

Sakura, however, fell silent, taken aback by the gaze on the other girl's face. It gave Sakura the impression that Hinata would be sending Ino to the hospital in a small, sealable bag. "Well, I better go now." Sakura suddenly said, her voice edged slightly.

Seeing the curiosity on Hinata's face, Sakura waved, turned and hurried out of the store, for some reason grinding her teeth.

* * *

_**Sakura**_

* * *

"Thousand and ten, thousand and eleven, thousand and twelve..." Lee paused, crouching down as he stared at his surroundings. Assured that he was moving in the right direction once more, he took off, returning to his effort of developing a unique punch. A punch that only a few select taijutsu records ever spoke up, a one-inch punch.

It was almost mythical really, but Lee was determined to develop it, and he was close, he could feel it.

"Thousand and fifteen. Yosh! Only nine hundred and eighty-five more to go!" For some reason, knowing that he was almost done and would soon be working on the other side, he sped up. Actually, he just couldn't wait to meet up with Gai, his mentor and adoptive father. The man had said that this meeting was very important, and Lee, above all else, didn't want to mess things up.

On the other hand, Lee also needed to talk with Naruto about something. The youthful pride of Konoha had seen the blond ninja this afternoon in passing and was very surprised to see the lack of a forehead protector. It was disheartening, and Lee was determined to find out why the blond had forgone his forehead protector. Though he did wonder if, maybe, he was the only one that noticed, since nobody else seemed to glance at the blond.

"Maybe he lost it on the mission to protect Hinata," Lee mused once more, unable to believe that Naruto had truly given up on being a ninja, like Tenten had suggested after he told her. After all, Uzumaki Naruto was just like Lee. They each had too many promises and dreams to ever give up.

Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts away from the boy and toward Tenten and his other teammate, Neji, wondering if those two would ever work things out. Of course they would! They were brilliant flames of youth, so there was really no reason to worry. Though, in the back of his mind, Lee felt something was most definitely wrong between those two especially after the silent treatment she had given Neji yesterday.

Switching arms, he started to get back to punching before he suddenly realized he was where he was supposed to be and came to a halt. Well, it looked as if the other two thousand punches would have to wait until after this meeting. Shifting his attention to the clearing that Gai had selected, he froze, taken back by the sight that greeted him.

There was Sakura, sitting quietly on the ground, staring off into space. He blushed just staring at her and started to swell up in his desire to leap down there and speak with her, but he restrained that desire. He had learned from Naruto's straightforward, over- enthusiastic approaches that Sakura would never go out with him if he approached her that way.

Of course, he could see no other way to let the girl know he was interested. It was one area that he had never been able to ask Gai-sensei about. Feeling slightly guilty about spying on the girl, he turned to leave and come back later, only to freeze when she spoke.

"It was horrible..."

Lee turned back, wondering for a moment if she had been talking to him. But no, her gaze was fixed on something else in the clearing that he couldn't see just yet.

"S-sasuke was so...cold. H-he didn't care..." her voice broke and, without meaning to, Lee moved into a better position to see the girl. What he found broke his heart: she was on the verge of crying, her voice thick with so many emotions that it hurt even him to hear them. "H-he said that as long...as long as he could kill his brother, then nothing else...n-nothing else mattered..."

Unconsciously, Lee prepared to go down there and offer the obviously needed comfort when he heard another familiar voice speak, one filled with anger.

"Damn it! That bastard...I wish I could have went, I'd have beaten his ass-" Naruto's voice fell silent and then he walked over to sit beside the distraught Sakura. "Hey, we'll get him next time...I'll be ther-"

"I-it won't matter..." Sakura said softly, looking at him. "He...S-sasuke could...channel the Chidori with his entire body. He killed Sai without even trying...He's-"

Suddenly Naruto exploded to his feet, voice loud and angrier than Lee had ever heard. "What the hell does that mean!? Do you think I'm weaker than that bastard?"

"No," Sakura said after a moment, her voice soft, staring at him. "You...Naruto, I know you are stronger than him...but he's using forbidden medical experiments...he could...he c-could..."

Lee watched as Naruto's shoulders hunched as if he wanted to shout and then the young man sighed, walking over to sit back down next to Sakura. "I promise, Sakura-chan, I'll bring him back. I'm going to be Hokage, right, and I've already promised I won't die until I am, so see? That bastard can't kill me."

"...You actually think it's that easy?" Sakura muttered turning her head to look at him.

"Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! If I say he won't kill me he won't," Naruto thumbed his chest, then put an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "What I really want to know is why the hell Kakashi-sensei wanted to see us."

Lee turned away from the scene for a moment, giving the two friends some privacy. Then he realized what Naruto had said about their sensei wanting to see them here, which, of course, was what Gai had wanted of him as well. Then he was promptly brought back to reality when Kakashi suddenly appeared upside-down directly in front of him. "Yo, Lee."

"Ack!" Lee jerked back at the unexpected greeting, only to fall completely out of the tree with a thud.

"Lee?!" Naruto shouted a second later before tumbling end over end as the Jōnin leapt down to stand in front of them. "Geez, what's wrong with you!?"

"Huh? Isn't Gai here yet?" Kakashi said, looking around, completely ignoring the three ninja.

Lee decided that was a good thing, especially since it gave Sakura a chance to check him over with her gentle medical scan. When she smiled at him, Lee found his cheeks heating up and quickly climbed to his feet to escape the awkwardness.

"Hah! My eternal rival, I see that you have arrived first!" Gai's voice suddenly shouted from the trees before he, too, joined the group. "At last you are beginning to understand that the youthful flames must not be kept waiting."

"Huh? Oh, you're here..." Kakashi said, then, obviously taking delight in the other man's frustration, turned back to the three Chūnin. "So, I bet you three are wondering why we got you all here together."

Lee nodded, fingers twitching to take out a notepad just in case something important was said. Obviously, if these two powerful ninja wanted their students to meet up, there had to be something important going on. What that was, though, Lee had no clue.

"Yes, of course they do, my eternal rival," Gai said boisterously before flashing them a bright smile. "We, Kakashi and myself, have decided that you three are ready for the next step in your youthful journey to the being the brightest flames of youth possible!"

"Huh?"

"..."

"Gai-sensei!" Lee couldn't help but exclaim happily, realizing immediately that this was what he had been asking Gai for since discovering Neji's promotion to Jōnin. Gai beamed back and gave a thumbs up in his classic 'good guy' pose.

"Ahem," Kakashi interrupted, sounding almost disturbed. "Sakura, Naruto, what this means is that you will no longer be members of Team Seven..."

"WHAT?!" Naruto and Sakura shouted together in twin shock.

"Yes, and Lee, you shall no longer be part of Team Gai."

"WHAT?!" Lee shouted, unable to believe such a thing could occur now. After all, Neji still worked with them, and he was a Jōnin, so why was he any different?

"Wow, they're almost a team already," Kakashi remarked, chuckling, before pressing onward. "Sakura, you are well above the Chūnin level in terms of skill and only the Hokage can out perform you in medical jutsu. Lee you're faster than almost anyone else in the world and Naruto...well, you're above most Jōnin."

"But why can't-" Naruto started to protest when Kakashi cut him off.

"Because you have to make Jōnin, now. The Hokage and the council have decided that, after this last failed attempt at retrieving Sasuke, only Jōnin will be allowed to have any role in a final future attempt at forcibly taking him back."

"Exactly," Gai agreed, arms crossed. "Lee, you are a bright flame of youth; you must join them for this exam because you three are the only ones ready."

"So, from this point on you are all members of..." Kakashi paused, then shared a look with Gai who nodded determinedly.

"Oi, we're all members of what?" Naruto injected, sounding disgruntled.

Lee, too, wanted to know what team he was now a part of. Well, that and he was anxious to start training with his team. They would have to do a lot of that if they were to do as Lee suspected and lead the assualt on the Sound nation and the final attempt at recapturing Sasuke.

"Team Naruto!!!" Gai said and then gave another classic 'good guy' pose.

Lee, startled, turned to stare at his blond friend. The orange and black-clad ninja in question looked stunned at the sheer idea and then Sakura laughed and pushed his shoulder.

"So, what first, Captain?"

"I..." Naruto froze and then grinned before thrusting a finger into the air. "Ramen!"

* * *

_**Lee**_

* * *

Listening to the silence of the room, Hiashi retrieved his cup of tea, sipping at it as he read what he had inked not ten minutes ago. He was pleased with what he found and, setting his drink aside, began the final paragraph, careful as always to keep his hand steady and the kanji flawless. Finished, he laid his calligraphy pen aside and glanced at his official seal, preparing to set these orders into stone.

He was interrupted, however, by a polite knocking, forcing him to set his seal aside and look up. Taking a moment to glance through the door to see who it was, he allowed a slight smile to flicker across his face. "Enter." Seconds later, a Branch member entered the room, bowing with a forced humbleness.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Hyūga-sama, but Elder Hinoiri is insisting that be allowed to speak with you." The Branch Member stood upright, face neutral. "He claims it involves a very serious matter of Hyūga Family business."

Hiashi nodded, maintaining his stoic seriousness as he stared at the man. "Very well." The man bowed once more and retreated, giving Hiashi the chance to cover his carefully written orders with a bland financial report. To a casual glance it would be trivial, and, if the elder was so crass as to blatantly use his bloodline, then, of course, accidents did happen.

Seconds later, his door was opened and an elderly man with wisps of black hair and milky white eyes entered the room with a careful ease.

"Hiashi-kun," the man said by way of greeting, which, of course, was only the opening challenge. As an elder, the man had the right to refer to him in such a casual manner. Hiashi, in response, turned his attention to the financial report in silence, being intentionally rude. "Excuse me, but I did come here to discuss matters of..." the man started to say, only to stop at Hiashi's continued effort at ignoring him. "Hiashi-kun, it is quite rude of you-"

"Hiashi-sama," Hiashi corrected blandly, without looking up. "Rudeness is a reflection of our own courtesy. I thought you, above all, would remember that, Hinoiri-_kōhai_."

"Of course. Excuse me, Hiashi-sama," Hinoiri said, his tone almost dripping with venom.

"Elder Hinoiri, I am very sorry," Hiashi said as he looked up, though his tone of voice made it clear that he was anything but. "Yes, I was just going over the financial reports for the last few months, and am I afraid I was very irritated. My rudeness was inexcusable, so I apologize."

"Of course, perfectly understandable," the old man allowed, obviously forcing himself to be polite.

"Still, to be rude to one of your stature is improper. I must apologize," Hiashi said, baiting the man while still denying him the right to sit.

"It is perfectly alright," Hinoiri almost snapped. "There is much pressure on you; I understand how one could become irritated."

"Of course, excuse me," Hiashi said, returning his gaze to the paper before him. "Please sit. Would you like tea, or sake perhaps? I am afraid that Hanabi is not here at the moment, so you would have to pour for yourself."

"No, I am fine thank you," Hinoiri said as he eased himself into a sitting position with a sigh. "You know, of course, the business I wish to address?"

Hiashi looked up and nodded, scowling slightly. "Yes, I am pleased to learn that I am not the only one to find it deplorable that we are running low this year on funds. I think we may have to send a few more Branch Family members into active ninja service."

"Yes, that is unfortunate," Hinoiri answered, eyes almost narrowing in annoyance. "...I, however, was referring to the rumor that your daughter, Hinata-sama, has started dating that _boy_."

"Ah, so that is what brought you to see me?"

"Yes," Hinoiri responded. "I, along with my fellow Elders, are understandably curious about the validity of this rumor."

Hiashi laced his fingers together, setting them on the desk, deciding not to toy with the issue any longer. "Uzumaki-dono is, indeed, dating my daughter. He is a proper suitor by our Clan laws."

"How can you can speak so calmly about this," Hinoiri continued evenly, though he was clearly shouting on the inside. "That _boy_ should not be dating Hinata-sama! He should never be allowed near any our young women!"

"Hinoiri-san, I hope that this is not about the fear of the Kyubi breaking free. It should be obvious by now, after nearly sixteen years, that the seal holding that beast will not break," Hiashi said calmly, cutting short one argument that the elder would attempt to use. "Since the Kyubi is not a threat, I see no reason that she cannot pursue Uzumaki-dono."

"Be that as it may, the seal is not the only reason. He is not Hyūga, and you know that only Hyūga may-"

"Hinata is my eldest child, and she found a suitor who matches all the requirements to date and, eventually, marry," Hiashi said, cutting the old man off. "There is precious little I can do other than to concentrate on this crumbling Clan."

"How dare you!" Hinoiri raged. "Have you forgotten that the Hyūga are the most noble? That our blood is most pure of any?"

Hiashi frowned. "We are, indeed, the most noble, but our blood is not pure. Acts of survival become custom, custom becomes tradition, tradition becomes law and law becomes death."

"That is not-"

"Tell me, Hinoiri-san, wasn't it only last week that your grand-niece gave birth to a deformed child?" Hiashi asked, as if he already knew the answer.

"That was a tragic act of the kam-"

"It was an act of stupidity," Hiashi said darkly. "Our Clan is tainted and unclean. We have increasing cases of stunted growth, of hemophilia, severe mental deficiencies and, most importantly, weakening Byakugan."

"You are ignorant as ever," Hinoiri snapped, narrowing his eyes. "We explained this to your grandfather and to your father: there is no increase in such events, it is merely the Clan Head's overreacting."

"It is you who are ignorant, Elder," Hiashi said calmly. "I have explained to you and the others what must be done to correct these problems. However, let me say it again, we must allow-"

"Hyūga Hiashi!" Hinoiri shouted, laboriously climbing to his feet. "The Juni Jutsu is not an item for negotiation! It has been explained to you why it must, and will, continue to be used! As for this...this atrocity involving your daughter-"

"If you insist on discussing a matter of such non-importance that it borders on the ludicrous, then so be it. Elder Hinoiri, let me say now that whatever my daughter does concerning Uzumaki Naruto has my approval. When she asks that I allow her to marry into his Clan, I will give her my blessing and, as a Main Branch member, she shall _not_ receive the Juni Jutsu."

Hinoiri's red faced blotched as the blood rushed from it, and he stared at Hiashi.

The Hyūga leader found that a very pleasing face, and he decided to make his final jab before sending the man off. "While we are on the subject of my daughters, you should also know that Hanabi is pursuing Saturobi Konohamaru and, when she is ready to ask me to allow her to marry into his clan, I will grant my permission there as well."

"Y-you can't..."

"Yes, I can. I am both their father and the Head of this Clan; therefore, I have final say in who they marry." Hiashi gave the elder a cold smile. "I believe we have nothing else to discuss. Good day." The Elder stood there, sputtering and then, his rage building, turned, storming out of the room.

Hiashi continued to stare at the door for several long minutes and then, finally, looked down at the paper in front of him. Was he risking too much now? No, it was no great risk. Using Hanabi in such a way merely advanced him one more move toward checkmate in this game. So, he would wait now, wait and see what his opponents would attempt in countering him. Satisfied, he moved the financial report and pressed his official seal against the orders, setting his next move in the game in motion.

* * *

_**Hiashi**_

* * *

"See you next week!" Ino called out to her friends, primarily failed kunoichi, and then started off on her own. Her friends had, of course, been pleased to have her back on the weekly lunches, but Ino herself found it utterly boring. It wasn't the girls' fault, really; it was the topics of choice. Even that wasn't really the problem. It was the fact that suddenly Ino found herself without a boyfriend.

Ever since Neji had told her he had made a decision concerning their relationship, Ino had become bored, and Ino was a girl that did not like being bored. This meant she kept herself busy, which usually meant setting her sights on a guy and dating them; however, after Neji, there were just no interesting guys left.

Shikamaru had made it clear that he was 'not-dating' Temari and Kiba was just too wild. In Ino's opinion, after those two, the other males of her age group just weren't interesting enough to date. Somehow, this triggered a memory she had forgotten, which almost shocked her.

Hadn't she, just yesterday, claimed that Naruto was becoming interesting? Details concerning the boy were sketchy, but what Ino did know made her interest pique. The blond was strong, he was trained by a Sannin, he seemed to have been promoted in an unusual way and she couldn't forget about the S-ranked criminals after him.

Of course, she remembered that the boy had Hinata trying to get into his pants and that was one kunoichi that had a package, if unleashed, that Ino would be hard pressed to beat. Then she remembered Sakura, her pink-haired best friend, and the sake-induced confession that, just maybe, she cared about Naruto more than she should.

Ino chuckled to herself, deciding that, if the chance to get to know more about the boy arose, she would take it. There was no rush on snapping the boy up; Sakura would never go for the blond, and Hinata was too hesitant. Shortly after this decision was made, she was greeted with the surprise of Naruto stumbling out of a store amid shouts of 'evil and foul' and crashed into her, knocking them both to the ground.

"Damn store!" Naruto shouted, climbing to his feet, then noticing who he had landed on he helped her up.

"...Thanks Naruto," Ino said, slyly dusting her butt off and arranging her hair, giving him the best views she could without getting _too_ obvious. Her outfit was very well-suited for such tactics, after all.

Naruto froze for a second, his eyes darting everywhere she wanted him to and then suddenly he was staring at her face with a cheerful grin. "Ahaha, you're welcome, Ino!"

"So, what was all that about?" Ino asked, her voice smooth as silk.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, glanced at the store and then back at her, his face darkening. "Oh, _them_. I pulled a prank on them once and they haven't forgiven me."

Ino hesitated, doubting that was the whole truth, but accepted it at face value. Brightening, she gave her patented pout, which had bent even Neji to her will. "Sooo...you want some Ramen? My treat."

Naruto's eyes seemed to glaze over, and Ino couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Naruto was such a push–over; she would reel him in easily, now.

Then he shook his head and frowned. "Can't, I gotta go to the academy."

"Huh?" Ino blinked, surprised at such a lame excuse. At least for Naruto it was lame. After all, he was the last person the academy would let back inside.

"Baa-chan is making me work at the academy. Just cause she's Hokage now, she thinks she can just boss me 'round!" Naruto complained, crossing his arms. "Wait till I'm Hokage, then she'll see what its like!"

"Baa-chan?" Ino blinked staring at the boy. "You call Hokage-sama Baa-chan?"

"Yea...why not?" Naruto blinked staring at her.

Ino shook her head, letting it pass. He really was getting interesting if he could call the most powerful ninja in the village that.

Naruto, however, was already moving on, smiling brightly. "Oi, that Tsuki-thingie is tonight!"

Ino brightened nodding slightly, fishing to see where this was leading. "Yea, the Tsukimi."

"Right that thingie!" Naruto enthused. "I knew I forgot to ask Hinata-chan something."

"You're...gonna ask her?" Ino asked, blinking as he nodded.

"Ye-" Naruto blinked suddenly, glancing at his watch, panic filling his face. "Crap! I gotta go! Later, Ino!" That said, he darted off down the street, leaving Ino standing there, feeling a great deal of annoyance.

All of that, discovering that he was more interesting than she had originally thought and yet...he as asking someone else out. Obviously, he had some sort of relationship with Hinata now and part of her really wanted to keep at it until she got a date with that boy. The other part, the part she would listen to for the moment, told her to leave him be.

At least she would for the time being.

* * *

_**Ino**_

* * *

Iruka sighed, resting his forehead in his hands, gathering strength. He was only twenty-five years old -should have been the prime of his life- but he was tired. Actually, more than tired; he was bordering on exhaustion. First Naruto, who had strained his mind to the breaking point on several occasions, then Iruka had to deal with the boy's successor, Konohamaru.

The end result had been a 'mental vacation', and now here he was back teaching. He could already feel his nerves fraying, and he was not entirely sure how long he would last. Oh, thank the kami that the Hokage had promised him that she was going to send him some help. It was the only safety net he held onto.

Mizuki had been a jerk, but at least he had been there to help ease the burden.

Glancing up at the rambunctious class, he winced, watching several would-be pranksters whisper about something. Undoubtedly trying to out-do the mythos that was quickly building around Naruto and Konohamaru. Well, at least Iruka could count that as a plus: after having taught both boys, there had yet to be a prankster that he couldn't counter.

Glancing at the clock over the door, he winced, wondering where his assistant was. It wouldn't be long until class started, and he was not looking forward to dealing with these hooligans without backup. Sadly, as each second ticked by, and that minute hand moved closer to the start of class, he was resigning himself to his fate.

Damn, that woman had lied to him.

Groaning, he climbed to his feet, placing his hands against the desk and looking around at the class. "Okay, let's settle down and get started..." Seeing this had no effect, he resorted to an old tatic he had perfected with Naruto. Grabbing a book, he slammed it on the desk loudly, glaring at them. "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!"

Each child, of course, did just that, almost like they were terrified of him. Which was not surprising, since such a reaction was natural even from Naruto. Seeing that they were behaving, he gathered himself together and started talking, eyes sweeping the room.

"Today's lesson will be covering -Moroboshi Ataru don't even think about throwing that- the Shodai Hokage." Iruka paused and stared at another boy. "Miyake Shimazu, don't you even think about snapping her bra. Now then, who can tell me what technique the Shodai Hokage was known best for?"

There was a brief hesitation and then a few hands went up, earning a sigh from Iruka as he spotted the familiar face of a girl that seemed to idolize Sakura. "Shigeru Chiba?"

The girl in question almost beamed as she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "The Shodai Hokage was best known for his Mokuton techniques and the unification of Konoha village."

"Correct." Iruka beamed, shifting his gaze to the door as one of his students started to edge toward it. "Kinryu Arimoto, get back to your seat."

The boy was brought up short anyway, when the door snapped open to reveal one Uzumaki Naruto.

Iruka couldn't help but stare for a moment, wondering why the number one prankster, of all people, would be there. "Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, then grinned nervously, scratching at the back of his head. "Ahahheheeh."

Iruka forced the shiver of fear that raced up his spine away, staring at the blond in mounting fear. "Naruto, are you here for a reason?"

"Yup! Baa-chan told me I was suppose to be helping out here, and Baldy started bawling when he saw me," Naruto said brightly, giving a thumbs up. "I guess I'm supposed to help you! Ain't that great?!"

Iruka stared for several long minutes, wishing to do just as the Academy principal had apparently done. Instead, Iruka collapsed back into his chair, staring at the blond in shock. How could the Hokage do this to him? It was one thing to teach the boy, but to share teaching duties with Naruto...

...that was just cruel and unusual torture.

* * *

_**Iruka**_

* * *

"Oi, Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted as he walked out of the house and into the training area, the shadows lengthening around him as night fell. The white-haired man in question was currently propped up against a tree, snoring soundly, much to the annoyance of the blond ninja.

Walking over, he paused just out of reach, frowning as he tried to decide how best to wake the bastard. He had learned a long time ago that Ero-Sennin could wake up at a moment's notice with very painful results. This knowledge had come especially after he had gotten far too curious about the books the old man wrote and tried to pry the latest edition out of his sleeping hands.

Deciding to go for the simple approach, Naruto quietly pulled a kunai and pricked the man's large toe.

Nothing.

Frowning, Naruto put the kunai up and grabbed a rock, tossing it at the man, but Jiraiya's head fell forward so it bounced off that oddly-shaped forehead protector. Crossing his arms, Naruto snorted, knowing his sensei was just play–sleeping, as well as knowing what he would have to do to get the man to stop acting.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" Naruto called out before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear as a Tsunade proportioned version of his female self.

Jiraiya jumped to his feet, drooling and holding his thumbs up. "Genius!"

Disgruntled, Naruto released the Henge, reappearing as himself glaring at the now disappointed man. "You really are a pervert!"

"I am a super-pervert!" Jiraiya said defensively, and Naruto sighed.

"Not this again..."

"Feh, whatever. You are unappreciative of facts, as always." Jiraiya said dismissively, waving a hand. "Why do you think your issue of Icha Icha failed?"

"Hey!" Naruto said defensively. "That wasn't my fault! I couldn't help it that I chose the publisher's daughter as-" Naruto paused, then scowled. "Actually, now that I think about it, you're the ass that told me who to research!"

"Oh...hehehe..." the older man said, then brushed his sleeve off. "So, did you want something or were you just teasing an old man?"

Letting the earlier argument slide, Naruto plopped down across the man, taking on the listening position he was so familiar with when discussing seals. "Oi, so, did you take a look at the seal?"

"Yea," the Sannin said, eyes intent. "It's interesting...and complicated."

"How complicated?"

"Complicated enough that I can see why things would fall apart when it was activated improperly,." Jiraiya said and then produced a scroll, spreading it out between them. "See, there are eleven main seals. Four for the various charka types at the cardinal directions; then, another four for various bloodline combinations; two for genjutsu and ninjtusu; and the final one to declare who to allow the usage of their chakra and various jutsu."

Naruto darted his eyes to the seals, which were fairly obvious, but it was the lines that interconnected the seals that caught his attention. It looked like sheer madness; no, it looked like they were intentionally trying to confuse anyone attempting to copy the seal or break it. "Geez. So, how does it work?"

"Well, it took me most of the day..." Jiraiya said, reaching out to point at each seal as he spoke. "Basically, the seal is powered by tying the Void seal to a source of long-lasting chakra, like a tree. The over all seal completely denies or negates the use of chakra. As such, it is a GM-dan level Fūin jutsu that grants the user total security from all types of attack, including bloodlines, save taijutsu."

"Could you get it to work?" Naruto suddenly asked, studying the seal intently.

"Maybe," Jiraiya said rolling the scroll shut. "I'd have to remove the original and then retranscribe it to function for you. Plus, I'd have to find a new energy source for the Void seal since the tree it's tied to is already dead."

Naruto was silent for several long minutes, his mind processing everything he had been told and seen about that seal. The most impressive use he saw, was one he would not share at the moment; but how would such a seal react when placed on a living person. A person such as Orochimaru or those cloaked freaks that were after him.

Deciding that was something to consider later, Naruto turned back to something else he needed from the pervert as a bonus for his new jutsu Kakashi had started him on developing.

"Oi, I need you to teach me something."

"Ask Kakashi."

"He can't teach me what I need to know," Naruto said evenly, his tone showing an alarmingly quick shift from annoying to serious.

"Ok, let's hear it. What can I teach you that he can't?"

"I'm no good at long-range attacks," Naruto said, struggling with how to get the man to teach him a technique that he had already said was off-limits to him.

"That's because you're a close ranger fighter," Jiraiya answered exasperatedly. "We've been through this already!"

"Yea yea...but I need to know how to close distances fast because not all my enemies are gonna want to fight close range," Naruto reasoned, noting the way Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"...What do you want me to teach you?" Jiraiya asked evenly. "If you just need that, you can get Kakashi to teach you Shunshin no Jutsu. It'll do the job."

It looked like he was going to have to have this argument all over again. "I need to be as fast as the Yondaime."

"No," Jiraiya deadpanned. "I told you no once, and I'm telling you no now. It's not a technique that you need, or should even dream about trying."

Naruto crossed his arms, scowling. "I need to learn this!"

"I'm not teaching it to you!" Jiraiya bellowed, looking angry. "Go learn the Shunshin no Jutsu! That should be enough!"

"IDIOT!" Naruto shouted back, looking just as angry. "The Akatsuki are faster than that! Itachi's faster than that! _You're_ the one that kept yelling at me that I can't rely on the same tricks over and over! Now when I ask you to teach me something that could save my life or a precious person's life, you say no."

"Idiot!" Jiraiya shouted back, slashing his hand through the air. "Learn the Shunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto was silent for a moment, then glared at the other man. "I have to learn it. Now. While I have the chance."

"Give me one good, legitimate reason," Jiraiya demanded harshly.

"Sasuke..." Naruto almost growled. "Sakura-chan told me about what happened...she cried...she shouldn't be crying."

Jiraiya was silent for several long moments, as if sizing him up, much to Naruto's unease. This was the longest the old man had ever been silent over any technique they had argued over. Finally the Sannin snorted. "Kami help me...Fine."

"Huh?" Naruto managed, surprised. That damn pervert finally gave in? Why?

"Just be quiet and listen. I'm not explaining any of this again, and you piss me off just once and I'm not teaching you this. Understand?"

Naruto nodded, eyes glinting as he concentrated.

"Good. The Shunshin no Jutsu allows you to appear and disappear in an instant; it's D-ranked and used in conjunction with a nearby element like mist, sand or leaves."

"Fine, fine," Naruto muttered, not caring, and his teacher gritted his teeth before continuing.

"I only explained it so you can understand that the Hiraishin no Jutsu is completely different," Pulling an oddly shaped kunai, he held it up, wrapping a note around it. "The Shunshin uses Chakra to displace your mass and move it; the Hiraishin is a wordless summoning that operates at ultra-high speed."

Naruto couldn't help but scowl as he studied the man, everything churning in his mind. "So, you need the right chakra level and a contract, right?"

Jiraiya paused, then nodded, holding up the kunai. "It's called a Jutsu-shiki, which marks the destination. After you've met both requirements, you can transport yourself instantaneously."

Jiraiya hurled the prepared weapon at a post, where it stuck, then, faster than the blink of the eye, he disappeared and appeared at the post, continuing his lecture. "It's best to apply the Jutsu-shiki in advance to the weapon or place you wish to travel."

"Right," Naruto said, looking serious. Jiraiya sighed and suddenly performed his disappearing/reappearing trick so that he was back at the original tree, as if he had never moved.

"It is possible both to leave a Jutsu-shiki in an area you touch and to travel to someone else's Jutsu-shiki if you can distinguish the chakra patterns. Most importantly, it can't be seen through by either Byakugan or Sharingan...though I don't know about the Mangekyo." Seeing Naruto nod again, he sighed, rubbing his temples. "All right...this is probably going to take us all night, so we better get started."

"Right!" Naruto beamed, and Jiraiya slapped his forehead, groaning.

"So, first, let's start on the body flicker technique. Now, with this you-"

"Oi! Wait a minute! You really think this is going to take all night?" Naruto suddenly interrupted, remembering that he had asked Hinata out, and he didn't want to have to break their first official date. After all, it had taken him almost sixteen years to get around to asking her out; he wasn't about to miss it if he could help it.

"Probably not. Even you should get the Shunshin quickly enough." Jiraiya sighed before giving him a calculating look. "Why are you so worried about it?"

"No reason," Naruto bluffed before thrusting his hands into the air. "Oi, hurry up and teach me the Shunshin."

Jiraiya shook his head and groaned.

* * *

_**Jiraiya**_

* * *

Walking beside Naruto, aware of the gazes she was receiving, Hinata felt woefully unprepared. The other girls all had nice clothes on, while Hinata had her mission clothes. Where the other girls had made sure to perform tasks to highlight their femininity, she had merely prepared for bed. Hinata was very self-conscious about this fact, and, despite her feelings of pride at being out in public with him, she was growing very uncomfortable.

Hinata tried to take her mind off feeling that way by leaning against him, enjoying the way his arm stayed draped around her shoulders as they walked down the street, talking. Unlike other girls who were so much more confident in their relationships, she had thought that Naruto was going to try and keep his dating her under wraps. Even with his shout upon returning to the village yesterday, she had feared that he would want to keep quiet, so his willingness to make it obvious that she was out with him was enough to keep her from feeling too uncomfortable.

However, the longer they were out and talking, the more chances there were that Naruto might notice the difference between her and the other girls. Hinata's mind worried over such pointless fears, but she couldn't help herself, and, as a consequence, her stammering conversation trickled off to nothing. Naruto didn't seem to notice, even when Hinata failed to react when they had run into Kurenai and Asuma.

Hinata wondered what was wrong with her, why she was so worried over Naruto noticing the other girls. This was Naruto: he was not going to abandon her just because she wasn't as pretty as the other girls. They had been on 'non-dates' all the way back on the pilgrimage; there should be no doubt in her mind that he liked her. Yet, there was, and she couldn't help it, and she felt awful. How could she be so worried over losing his affection?

Was she really that insecure?

"Oi, Hinata-chan, is something wrong?"

Blinking, Hinata glanced at Naruto, then looked around, realizing that he had led them into the doorway of an empty store, giving them a bit of privacy.

"N-no..." Hinata managed, unable to meet his gaze. How could she tell him what she was worrying about?

"Oh." Naruto was silent for a minute and then he removed his arm while shifting his weight. "Er...you know, you didn't have to go out with me if you didn't…ya know...want to."

"W-what?" Hinata snapped her head around to stare at him with wide eyes, wondering how he had come to that conclusion.

"Well, I mean, you're all quiet, and you seemed ashamed when we saw Kurenai..." Naruto sighed, trying to keep his tone nonchalant, but it was obvious to Hinata that he was not as unconcerned as he appeared.

"I, anou...Naruto-kun..." Hinata mumbled, looking down at his feet and then spoke softly, her voice hesitant. "I-I can't tell you why, uhmm...especially not here..."

"Can you do the Shunshin?" He suddenly asked, his voice earnest.

"N-no...it's not allowed," Hinata answered, staring up at him curiously. Naruto, however, gave her a reassuring grin and grabbed her hand, darting out into the street. "N-Naruto?"

"Try to keep up, okay?" Naruto said brightly, and then he was off, racing ahead, and Hinata struggled to keep up, since he had yet to release her hand. They weaved through the pedestrians and then over the shops, houses and groupings of other ninja. Hinata blinked, confused about their location as they suddenly darted into the trees and then moved from branch to branch in a meandering course.

Naruto, however, made it clear when they came shooting out from the trees in front of stairway leading to the observation deck of the Hokage Mountain. Hinata was utterly unsurprised when he led them up the stairs, not slowing down as the bypassed the sentries, heading for the nearly-hidden path that would lead to the top of the mountain. It was a section that the Godaime had declared off-limits to everyone.

That worried Hinata, but not until it was too late, since they were already on the path and heading for the top of the Yondaime's head, the sentries oblivious to their actions. Then, suddenly, they came to a halt, so high over the village that they literally had a bird's-eye view.

Hinata stumbled slightly, jolted when he released her hand and walked over to sit on the crest of the Hokage's head. Hinata caught her breath quickly enough, but took several minutes to look at the village in silence, then to marvel at the stars and moon. Then, her gaze settled on the highlighted figure of Naruto, who was staring out at the village in silence, as if he was not even aware that she was there with him.

Then he spoke. "Hinata, I hope...er... This is a special place for me, and, well, I figured it would, uhm...make you more comfortable to say whatever you wanted." Hinata stared at him for several long minutes, wondering what was going through his head. As long as she had known him, Naruto had never acted like this. It was disconcerting. "I mean, yeah... I know, out there on the pilgrimage, we got really...close, and when we came back we... But, if you don't want to-"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata mumbled softly, but it was enough to cut him off. Sensing his attention, she took a breath and then spoke, careful not to say the wrong thing. "I...nothing has, uhm, changed. It was just... I...was scared." She winced at that, wondering what he would say in response.

"Why?" Naruto turned, staring at her, his hair almost glowing in the moonlight.

"T-the other...uhmm... It's just that... N-naruto... I'm not the p-prettiest..." Hinata stammered, unnerved by the way he was staring at her. It was like she was seeing a side of him she had never dreamed existed. She blushed and looked down, unable to help rubbing her fingers together nervously.

"Who said you weren't the prettiest?" Naruto suddenly asked, his voice showing his confusion. "So...uh...you just thought you weren't pretty?"

"Anou..." Hinata nodded, shifting her weight before stealing a glance up at him. She was surprised to see a bemused grin on his face.

"So, that was what was bothering you?" Naruto said suddenly fighting back his chuckles. "You really _are_ weird."

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata blinked; she knew that tone. He was teasing her. Playfully, but he was still teasing her.

Naruto suddenly hopped to his feet and pointed at her, much like when he was making a serious statement. "Oi, the only one here that doesn't know you're beautiful is you." Naruto stopped and stared at her for a moment, then started grinning a little.

Hinata grinned shyly back, blushing at his comment. Even if they had kissed and hugged, him calling her beautiful was wonderful. Then she noticed the odd grin on his face and blinked, staring at him in curiosity. "Anou... Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, scratching the back of his head. "Nah, I just realized you looked sorta like a rabbit..."

Hinata blinked, staring at him oddly. "A...rabbit?"

"Yeah. A really cute one, but, yeah, a rabbit." Naruto laughed a little, staring at her again curiously, his arms crossed. "I never noticed that before..."

Hinata blinked, wondering what she should feel about being compared to such an animal. Well, at least she reminded him of a cute animal, and a rabbit did have a few positive things about it. They were fast, they could be very smart and they were cute. So, maybe reminding Naruto of a rabbit wasn't so bad.

Then Naruto pointed at her and raised his voice. "Ahah! Usagi-hime!"

"Anou..." Hinata stared at her boyfriend in confusion, wondering if he had just lost his mind.

Naruto chuckled, eyes closing in that odd habit of his. "I was just thinking about what to call you, ya know, cause, er, this is really stupid, but I've noticed some guys call their, you know, girlfriend's, nicknames. Anyway, since you looked like a rabbit...I, uhmmm...yeah!"

"I-I don't mind..." Hinata stammered, blushing, thinking it was a rather nice nickname. Then, she thought of one for him, but she didn't know if he would let her say it. "Uhmmm, Naruto-kun...i-it would only be fair if I got to..."

Naruto grinned and then nodded. "Go ahead; nothing you'll come up with is going to bother me."

"Anou..." Hinata gathered her courage and then pointed at him, trying to mimic him this once. "Roku-kun!" That said, she froze, waiting to see his reaction.

"Eer...so, can I ask why you're calling me six?"

Hinata nodded, rubbing her fingers together. "I...you, someday I believe you'll be Hokage, and...er...I just wanted a way to show you I-" Suddenly, however, she was cut off as she felt his arms wrap around her tightly. Blushing, Hinata returned the embrace and, on impulse, kissed his cheek.

Suddenly, Hinata didn't really care about being unprepared for the Tsukimi.

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

Well its here, finally. I blew past my estimated arrival date, I expected to start posting back in Febuaray. Still here it is, in all its glory! 'Naruto: Edge of Tomorrow', the sequel to 'Naruto: Hyuga Pilgrimage'. I hope you enjoy it, I've tried to keep my promises with this story, but iunno if I have or not.

Anyway, below you'll find a few important notes. Please read and take them to heart!

**1)**This IS a sequel to Hyuga Pilgrimage it IS a Naru/Hina pairing (though the plot doesn't depend on it). You'll notice as the story goes you have less and less screen time of Naru/Hina together. Why? Because there is a helluva lot going on and they CAN'T be together all the time.

**2)** Whatever feelings Sakura has toward Naruto are slightly ambigious, but even if she has designs on the boy that's fine. After all, the romantic female need (Hinata) needs some sort of challenge and...yeah, Sakura is more acceptable in my opinon for this story.

Now then, you'll notice certain things as this story progress, lets keep in mind that these are fifteen year olds that have been trained for this life. Their personalities are kept true to their canon version (or as close as they can since people GROW up and CHANGE with age). So no whining that anything that is said or done -that is within logical reason- would be totally out of their character, cause quiet frankly I will ignore it.

**3)** How this story relates to canon...obviously its Naruto Part Two (or the Hurrican Chronicles if you want the offical english title). However like Hyuga Pilgrimage, it devates shortly after the Gaara rescue arc...so Naruto never went to Grass and confronted Orochimaru or Sasuke and yea, hate to disappoint the Uchiha fans, but Sasuke didn't get to supress the Kyubi with his 'More evil' chakra while inside Naruto's mind. 

However to clear things up; I will not shy away from stealing a good idea from Part 2. There were a few of them and I use all of them that I can. I also do this with the first movie (even if some people wonder about how it fits, I think its still the best one and WILL use things from it).

Also while most of the filler arcs were...shudder worthy...I will use their jutsu cause they're ready made and some of them are kinda interesting. However the stories and plot lines will not be intergrated into this story I (even though the ones invovling Hinata was sorta fun and good)

**4)** Naruto is too strong and the other characters are to -insert comment-...please remember that when Hyuga Pilgrimage was first written (and the sequel first concieived) we didn't have much on the way of charcterzation for the Part 2 versions of the characters. I will of course make an attempt to blend them together as possible, but this is not canon and therefore these are the characters as I pictured them developing at the time.

If it helps, consider this entire storyline an alternate universe, like DC's Elseworlds (or All-Stars) or Marvels' old 'what-if' series. I guess the offical title for this universe would be Geor-sama's NHuniverse...or something like that.

**5)** Jutsu, jutsu, jutsu(sealing is included)...there are a ton of jutsu being tossed around. A ton of stuff and minor details and etc...I'll address them as they come up. However, lets clear this up right now; me and my friend Tiledsoomoo created all the orignal jutsu together (well the majority of it, there's one jutsu that is ENTIRELY mine...created immedately after the hinting of the new version of the Rasnegan). 

Anyway, so no complaining I'm copying from him or he's copying from me. Occaisonally I will mention things done without giving a name or a discription of a jutsu, for these check the bottom of each story where I will give the descriptions of the jutsu as they appear in my extensive jutsu note list.

**6)** This story will be updated on the 13th of every month, give or take a day. Asking for updates sooner will not make me post faster. For those that don't understand why I only update once a month...this gives me time to edit and polish chapters, and it takes the pressure off me of trying to write everything at once. I have to much going on to focus exclusively on anyone story and this also helps ensure that I will complete the story.

I believe that is everything, if not I will make it a point of explaining things at the end of a chapter. Please read the ENTIRE chapter before you leave a reveiw about something that doesn't make sense.


	4. Chapter 3: Relationships

**Naruto:**  
_Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 3  
-Konohagakure no Seto:_  
Relationships_-  
By Geor-sama

* * *

"Hmm, running a bit late..." Teuchi muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was well past time for the boy to arrive, which was a shame, since nobody else liked ramen for breakfast...Which cut into their meager profits.

"I know," Ayame remarked from the table she was cleaning.

"Why'd he have to get a girlfriend?" Teuchi muttered, turning to stare at her in exasperation. How had he angered the gods that they would do such a thing to him?

"You're not about to say he shouldn't have one because of..." Ayame said glancing at her father darkly.

"Huh? No its just that..." Teuchi sighed, scratching the back of his head. "See Ayame, when a guy gets a girlfriend, he stops coming to this type of place."

"Oh."

Teuchi shook his head, still trying to wrap his head around the concept.

"Well," Ayame grinned in _that_ way, the way that almost shouted that she knew some juicy gossip, which she did. "According to Shiateou-san's granddaughter, she came into the shop a day ago and hired them to make a rather expensive item for the boy."

"She hired Shiateou?" Teuchi whistled, scratching the side of his head. "Talk about expensive! He only works for a few families anymore...but he is the best at what he does."

"He worked especially hard on this one, apparently," Ayame leaned forward, her eyes wide. "According to Usagimimi, they were paid enough to buy three houses in the Yutaka Kingou district."

Teuchi paled at the mere thought of having that much money, and to spend it on... "Sweet kami."

"I know," Ayame said seriously, as if reading his mind. "At least he has someone that cares about him now."

"C-care?!" Teuchi exclaimed. "She spent a small fortune on him; that girl has to be planning on marrying the boy!"

"I don't know; that might be a problem." Ayame glanced at him and sighed, hand on her hip. "After all, the Hyuga don't allow you to marry outside the Clan... Or, at least, that's what everyone says."

"Hey old man, two bowls of ramen..." Naruto suddenly called from the doorway, and Teuchi spun to stare at his number one customer as well as the timid-looking girl at his side. "Hinata-chan, you want something?"

"A-anou...Senzai, if its not too much trouble?"

Naruto sort of pouted, but he shrugged, leading the girl to the counter.

Ayame smiled brightly and hurried around the counter. "Of course! Nothing but the best for the girlfriend of our favorite customer!"

Teuchi nodded in approval, noting the blushes on both teens' faces, and then promptly returned to work on the ramen. Maybe loosing some money wouldn't be so bad if he could keep seeing that boy smiling like that.

"Oi, so, like I was saying, Hinata-chan, that stupid woman ordered me to work in the academy, right?" Naruto said after a moment, his voice indignant. "Which, I mean, is cool 'cause I get to see Iruka-sensei now, but there's all these annoying brats..."

"Anou, umm, did you meet Kiba-kun?"

"Er...no, why would I met him?"

"Well, uh, he's been assigned to help Shikamaru at the academy."

"Oh?"

Teuchi paused at the tone of voice; he knew it all too well. That was Naruto's 'I'm _really_ interested and have a prank in mind, but I'm going to pretend I'm not interested so you never suspect me' tone of voice.

"N-naruto-kun, please don't do anything..." Hinata pleaded, apparently knowing that tone as well. "Uhmm, remember the last time you pranked Kiba-kun? It started a prank war..."

"Hehe, yeah, that was great!" Naruto gloated.

"Anou, you two managed to give our first teacher a nervous breakdown." Hinata protested softly.

"Yeah, but then we got Iruka-sensei!" Naruto protested defensively. "Plus, everyone was laughing all the time..."

"Just, Naruto-kun, for me? Promise that you won't start another prank war."

"Okay," Naruto said, "I won't _start_ the war... But I declare my right to defend myself!"

Even Teuchi heard the smirk in his voice.

* * *

****

Teuchi

* * *

Hyūga Neji was the picture of confidence, he had an unshakable believe himself that bordered on an arrogance that no Uchiha could ever hope to achieve. In short he was cocky, and while it was usually well-founded, it was often the crux of his downfall. The most notable example, his most public and humiliating defeat, was in his match against Naruto during his first ChÅ«nin exam.

Of course he had also learned something of humility, of accepting that not everything was predetermined and this usually kept him from falling in such a spectacular manner. It was this odd blend of confidence and humility that had allowed him, when exposed to Naruto's presence, to reach a decision concerning Ino and Tenten. That was why upon his return he had sought out Ino and broken up with her.

It had gone exactly as he expected: some feelings were churned up, but ultimately it was nothing either got very worked up about. After all, on some level they had both known that it was merely a physical attraction and would come to an end soon enough.

After that he had went to the first gathering of Team Gai for lunch, ready to lay out his feelings, as best he could. Yet even when both Lee and Gai had went off, leaving only Tenten and himself behind, there had been a feeling of distance between them. It had disturbed him, because he could neither see nor think of any reason for it.

Tenten had eventually excused herself and left before he could finish his nod.

It was at this point that he began preparing for something, he couldn't quite place a finger on it, but he knew it would be bad. Still he had decide to seek her out once more, in private, to speak with her and hopefully reassure himself that his vague fears were groundless.

Which explained his current location, deep within one Konoha's training grounds, watching her intently in silence. As always, he was captivated by her often-overlooked beauty. The way her ever-practical bangs swayed with her movements and the smirk on her lips as she displayed an accuracy beyond anything that should be humanly possible.

Mostly, though, he was captivated by her eyes: the way they darted from target to target, gleaming with a confidence that spoke to him. Aside from her features, Neji was also captivated by her sleek movements, the grace she displayed with every pivot and twist. Like always he decided that she was poetry in motion.

He watched until, at last, she came to a stop, her breathing heavy, but with a definite aura of pride surrounding her. Entering the clearing completely, he opened his mouth to speak, when she beat him to it.

"We need to talk."

Neji paused, his foreboding increasing, for of course he knew that nothing good _ever_ came after that phrase. His fears now confirmed he prepared himself for the break up that he saw coming, wondering if he had an argument that would work to forestall the impending pain.

Neither moved or said a word for several minutes -she didn't even turn to face him, just continued to stare at last target- before she finally decided to speak. "I've wasted hundreds of kisses on you, kisses that I thought were special. I just can't do this any more."

"Tenten-" Neji began only to have her turn abruptly to stare at him with those hurt brown eyes and words failed him.

"I-I can't this anymore, I can't keep going on and on, like some blind little girl." She paused, fighting back what sounded like a sob, then she lifted her chin to glare at him in defiance. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I can't keep loving you while you don't love me."

"I-" Neji paused, then looked away frowning. What could he say? How could he convey what he felt? That he would give her whatever she wanted?

"Do you have any idea how lonely it is? How much it hurts?" Tenten asked, her tone low and hurt.

Neji unconsciously shook his head a sigh escaping him.

"So-so I've decided I need to move on..." Tenten paused, her tone almost reproachful.

Neji remained silent, heart battling with his mind, but he was Hyūga and in the end the mind won. She wanted to move on and he would give her that if she wanted it. Looking at her once more, memorizing her features while keeping his face blank he spoke. "I understand."

"Neji?" Tenten asked sounding uncertain, almost reproachful.

Nodding curtly to signal goodbye, in the way that he had used when he had been younger, the genius turned and in silence walked away. With all of his arrogance, Hyūga Neji left Tenten standing there with the final proof of just how accurate she could strike with any weapon.

He simply just walked away.

* * *

****

Neji

* * *

It was a beautiful -no, glorious- day. Well, maybe she was just too keyed up to be objective about what the day was really like. Hinata just had to face it: when you had spent twenty minutes kissing your boyfriend it was hard to view a day as anything _but_ good.

Hinata actually giggled just thinking about that last, passionate, kiss before he had rushed off to his team training. As a matter of fact, her lips were still tingling from the kiss. It had taken her at least fifteen minutes to catch her breath and then another five to remember that she was supposed to meet Kiba and Shino for lunch.

It was while setting off that she had noted that he was more patient than she had expected. He had yet to push her for anything more than what she offered, which Kurenai had warned her about several times when guys had started noticing her. Naruto, however, seemed perfectly content with things as far as she could tell, and that just made her sigh happily.

On the whole, Hinata thought her day couldn't get any better.

Lost in her little world, she bumped into somebody and stumbled back. Recovering, she looked up at the person she had run into and blinked at the rather odd look on his face. "Anou...Excuse me,"

"Yeah, you better apologize." The young man snapped scornfully before he continued on his way.

Blinking, Hinata stared after him and then looked around, surprised to see that several of the people on the street were looking at her darkly. Some refused to make eye contact with her, others curled their lips in disgust and a few hurried their children away while glaring at her. Hinata frowned, taken back by the looks. What had she done?

Starting forward once more, she turned over her actions, wondering what had caused so many people to glare at her in that fashion. The only other time she saw people look like that was when Orochimaru or Naruto was mentioned. She faltered, wondering if maybe her dating Naruto was the reason behind the looks of disgust she was receiving.

Spotting her three teammates -She couldn't help but consider Akamaru a teammate- waiting patiently near the lamppost, Hinata set that aside for later consideration and hurried toward them. Akamaru saw her first and barked happily, and Hinata, smiling, bowed as she came within a few steps.

"Hey, Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed while Shino merely nodded a silent greeting.

Hinata closed the space to stand with them. "Anou, I'm sorry I'm late. I was-"

"-busy making out," Kiba interjected grinning at her.

"A-anou!" Hinata managed, blushing seven shades of red. "I...I w-was not..."

"Hinata, please. This is me, Inuzuka Kiba! I know when a girl's been making out." He grinned rather wolfishly as Akamaru barked in agreement. "Her eyes are all dreamy, her hair's usually disheveled and... her lips are bruised, especially if it was a _good_ make out session."

"I... Anou..." Hinata blushed even brighter and unconsciously reached up to check her hair and lips.

"Kiba, I wonder if you have actually ever heard of tact," Shino remarked blandly, shaking his head.

"Hey, tact is just not telling the truth." Kiba responded, glaring at the other boy, before glancing back at Hinata with a smirk. "So, anyway, make out queen, we're going to try a new restaurant that allows pets."

Hinata nearly toppled over at his comment, knowing that was the price she paid for being on the same team with Kiba. Worst of all, he wouldn't let this drop any time soon, either; he would just keep teasing her until he got tired of it. The only answer, then, would be to focus on the positive.

She was dating Naruto.

That positive thought got her grinning and daydreaming, which only got as far as another kiss when she was startled back to reality by Kiba's voice.

"-rth to Hinata, hey Hinata, anyone home?" Kiba was saying while waving a hand in front of her face. Seeing he had her attention, he chuckled and started walking away to join Shino. "Man, it's always the quiet ones. I don't even wanna _know_ what you were daydreaming about doing with Naruto."

"W-what?" Hinata managed, eyes wide before she hurried to catch up with the three. "H-how did you know that I was...with Naruto-kun?"

"You're kidding. The entire village knows," Kiba remarked, glancing at her. "The Hyuga Princess with one of the village's biggest troublemakers? Big news."

Hinata stared in shock at her team mate, her eyes wide and mouth gapping slightly.

"Indeed," Shino agreed. "Several people have expressed shock over such an event."

"Not that I blame them." Kiba snorted while continuing to look at her. "Honestly, Hinata, Naruto? What are you thinking?"

"I, anou...I don't see why you seem so shocked," Hinata stammered staring at her friend through narrow eyes. "I've...I've always had a crush on Naru-kun, this shouldn't be a surprise...anou, not really."

"It is unexpected," Shino supplied placidly as ever. "While it is true that opposites often attract, it is more common for the same kind of people to attract each other."

"Yeah, we thought you'd always end up with someone... less... Naruto-ish," Kiba said, smirking.

"I believe it would be more accurate to say that we expected you to begin a relationship with someone better suited to your personality," Shino said, arching an eyebrow.

"Anou, Naruto-kun likes me...uhm, for being me," Hinata protested defensively as they finally turned onto the street that the restaurant was on.

"Hey, we like you for being you, too," Kiba said, shrugging as he hopped off Akamaru's back "But we're not dating... I personally don't see what the big attraction is."

"He thinks, uhmm, Naruto-kun thinks I am bea-beautiful and that my jokes are funny..." Hinata responded, only to have Kiba interrupt her.

"Plus he likes making out with you," he said and then chuckled at her astonishment. "Look, he's a great friend, and all. I just don't get it, okay?"

"He just..." Hinata said after recovering from her surprise. "Naruto-kun makes me happy."

"That is the most important thing," Shino agreed.

"Man... I'm still confused about what you see in that blond dummy," Kiba said in exasperation before smirking. "But, whatever. I'm not the one swapping spit with him every chance I get."

"K-ki-kiba-kun," Hinata stammered scandalized. "P-please don't say things like that..."

Kiba snorted and flashed a smile, followed by a whistle at a girl they passed.

"Kiba had a good idea earlier," Shino said, subtly changing the subject. "Which should not be surprising since even people such as him have their moments."

"Hey!" Kiba protested, with only Akamaru barking in support.

"Anou...what was his idea?"

"He thought that we should camp out and do some training," Shino explained turning his attention to the street. "We wondered if you would like to join us."

"I, uhmmm..." Hinata blushed, looking down to hide her face; she could already hear the jokes coming from Kiba. "Uhmm, I promised...I promised Naruto-kun I would help him unpack at his new place."

"Uh huh," Kiba said loudly with a grin. "I can see a _lot_ of unpacking getting done in that scenario."

Hinata wished the ground would just open up and swallow her.

* * *

****

Hinata

* * *

"Tsutenkyaku!"

Seconds later there was an explosion of earth and a jarring sensation, which, thankfully, forced Naruto to pause in his attack. This, in turn, allowed Sakura to collapse to one knee, panting while trying to catch her breath, and Lee to come barreling in to attack the orange and black clad ninja.

Watching the taijutsu exchange, Sakura couldn't believe how much stamina Naruto and Lee had. They'd been at this for most of the morning, as per Gai's and Kakashi's suggestion, and yet they were both barely showing signs of strain. Sakura could hardly believe that, but, then, considering Lee's previous training and Naruto's unique situation, it was to be expected.

Still, she couldn't feel _too_ bad; after all, she beat both in terms of sheer strength and the ability to use genjutsu.

Watching the fight for another few minutes, Sakura frowned, wondering why Naruto was putting so much distance between himself and Lee.

"Taju Kage Bunshin!" Naruto suddenly shouted, and, much to her annoyance, the world was filled with a sea of orange and black.

"That's cheating!" Sakura shouted, only to realize exactly what she was shouting. The basic ground rules for Naruto didn't forbid the use of that technique, just the Rasengan.

"Oi! I'm just evening the odds!" one of the Naruto's shouted in response before the entire group yelled in agreement and charged both Lee and Sakura.

"Okay, he wants to play it rough..." Sakura grumbled, pulling one of her gloves down to tighten it against her fist. "I can do rough..." Seconds later, she dropped to a knee while driving her fist into the ground with enough force to throw the mob of Kage Bunshin charging her off their feet and disappear in a massive amount of acrid smoke.

Smirking, she looked up at where she believed Naruto would be standing. "You'll have to do better than-" her words trailed off, however, as she realized what she was staring at. There was a Naruto, sailing at her, his arm pulled back but... he had a spear... made out of smoke.

"Kemuri Yari!" Naruto shouted as the smoke spear came hurtling at her. Sakura could only blink in surprise and watch, but she felt no real worry since smoke was insubstantial and anything made from it couldn't really cause any damage. Then the smoke spear slammed into her chest and her eyes went wide at the impact.

She was sent sliding several feet away from the attack, her chest throbbing from the blow. Recovering, she shook her head and glared at the smirking blond. "What the hell was that?!"

"The Kemuri Yari no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, thumbing his chest. "One of my latest original jutsu!"

"Well, I think you need to rethink it," Sakura snorted, narrowing her eyes as she prepared to take the boy's head off with a punch.

"Why?"

"Didn't hurt at all," Sakura answered while smirking in a manner that would scare even Ibiki.

"Oh," Naruto said conversationally before giving her that fox-like grin of his. "That's 'cause it's not supposed to."

Sakura felt her eyes widen as she realized what he meant and then, feeling the earth rumbling beneath her feet, she jumped as high as she could. Moments later, a pair of hands burst from the ground and she cursed. She knew he was excellent at out-thinking his opponents; how could she have forgotten? Then she spotted the shadow under her, a shadow which was much too large to be her own.

While she was distracted, she felt a foot connect solidly with her ribs and send her higher. "U-" Another kick, and she went even higher. "Zu-" another kick and even higher. "Ma-" Another kick and higher still. "K-" Sakura, already reeling from the pain, knew what was coming and lashed out with a hand, catching the final incoming kick and twisting so that the Kage Bunshin slammed into the Naruto in the air over her.

That move disrupted, Sakura turned her attention to cushioning her landing. With only the basics of taijutsu, this was going to be a painful experience, but it was doable. Thankfully, she was saved the trouble when Lee caught her in mid-fall and then sprinted away from the main battle area.

"Yosh! Are you alright?!"

"Yea," Sakura managed, breathing heavily and using her skills to ease the pain from the blows. "He's really pushing his luck, though..."

"It is impossible to believe that he could have changed this much," Lee commented seriously. "I have seen film of him from his battle with Neji-san; it is as if we are fighting an entirely different person."

"It is," Sakura admitted as they finally came to a stop and she was allowed to escape his grasp and catch her breath. "He's been training with a battle-intensive sannin for two and a half years, plus he received some advanced training from Kakashi-sensei. He's even stronger than when we both fought Kakashi-sensei when he first returned."

"Yosh, he is a truly worthy opponent with a bright flame of youth!" Lee exclaimed before taking a breath and frowning. "However, I do not see a way to defeat him. I am faster, but his use of ninjutsu is amazing, and I fear he can recover from any injury faster than either of us can inflict them upon him."

"...Either of us," Sakura mused, an idea taking shape in her mind. Lee had a point: alone, they could both push him, but he would ultimately win. However, if they worked together, they could defeat him, just like she and Naruto had managed to defeat Kakashi in the second bell test. "Lee-kun, I have a plan..."

Ten minutes later, Naruto came bursting into the area, making a bee -line for the branch she was standing on. Then, much to his surprise, she nailed him with a round kick to the face which sent him tumbling down to a branch beneath her. Recovering he attempted to throw a punch at her, but Sakura was one step ahead of him and, using his incoming forearm for leverage, flipped over him.

His curse was cut off as her hand, now glowing blue, made glancing contact with the back of his neck for a split second. Sakura winced -the Ranshinsho was not her best move, and such limited contact would not work for long, especially on Naruto. Still, it worked according to plan: Naruto tried to move, but, since the signals in his brain were screwed up, he toppled forward from the tree branch to where Lee was waiting.

"Konoha Daisenpu!"

Seconds later, Naruto was an orange -and -black blur shooting towards her from the impact of a powerful taijutsu kick. She saw the concern on his face, the surprise and, even more, the smoldering fury, which caused a part of her to hesitate, but the rest of her followed through with the plan, and, when he was even with her, she delivered a powerful uppercut to his chin which shot him high above the trees.

Panting and exhausted, Sakura quickly retreated to the ground to join her partner. Lee was grinning as well, the look of a man pleased with himself etched on his face. Sakura, however, was remembering the look in Naruto's eyes, the look that promised that this fight was far from over. She even opened her mouth to say something along those lines to a beaming Lee when something raced up her spine.

Chakra. Vast, unfathomable, Kage-level chakra. And a whistling noise.

High overhead.

Looking up Sakura felt her eyes widen and her mouth gape. Naruto was coming back toward them a hand outstretched, but the air before him was taking the shape of a massive twisting...dragon. Oh kami, he had a one-handed jutsu that could manipulate the air?!

"Kazeryu no jutsu!"

Sakura heard Lee mutter something that sounded like a prayer, and she couldn't blame him; the dragon that was rushing toward them was beyond frightening, plus it was totally unexpected. Sakura had never heard of a wind dragon jutsu, let alone see someone perform it.

Still, she had been trained by a Sannin as well and, while she was by no means the jutsu-fiend that Naruto had apparently become, she did understand the principle behind this attack. Wind was unblockable and, formed into such a condensed shape, it would impact with a great deal of power, which meant that unless they wanted shattered bones, she needed to put something between them to take the brunt of the attack in their stead.

Driving her fist into the ground yet again and breaking a large enough chunk free, she hurled the earth shield into the dragon's path. That should do the trick... Then the dragon twisted around the object as if it were alive, and the chunk of earth shattered against a ridges on its back.

There was only a split second left before impact, and Sakura could think of nothing else to do.

Then, she felt Lee grab her wrist and yank her off her feet, darting away at high speed just as the wind dragon -with something greatly resembling a roar- slammed into the earth with enough force to uproot nearby trees and create a billowing cloud of smoke and debris. Sakura's world went topsy-turvy, the wind almost biting, and her ears nearly bursting from the delayed explosive noise that followed.

Seconds later, she found herself sprawled on the ground, her head throbbing and the sky over head still raining dirt. Blinking, Sakura sat up, a groan escaping her as she did so. Her body was protesting, but it wasn't enough to make her stop. Then, as the dust cloud cleared, she discovered a rather large crater where she had been standing.

Gulping, she turned her attention to Lee, who was already climbing to his feet as well, though he looked rather battered. Cursing under her breath at his use of such a dangerous jutsu, she began searching for Naruto and was disturbed to see him struggling to his feet already as well.

"Why the hell did you use that?! Were you trying to kill us?!"

"Oi, who's the one that tried to take my head off with a punch?" Naruto shouted back just as angrily. Then, after a moment, he grinned sheepishly. "Maybe I did get a little carried away...Uh, how about we call this a draw?"

"Indeed, we should call this a draw," Lee agreed solemnly before he smiled brightly and held a fist before him. "However, I now know who my greatest rival of a lifetime shall be! Great Rival Naruto, we shall meet again and determine a final victor!"

"Ahh... right." Naruto said, blinking rapidly before glancing at her. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura frowned, then sighed. It was kind of awesome to see. Besides, it didn't exactly go against the ground rules for him and she had, technically gone against her own ground rules for this battle with the Ranshinsho. "Yeah, it's a draw."

"Great!" Naruto shouted, a grin plastering itself on his face as he looked at Lee. "So, you buy the ramen this time right?!"

"And we shall have a contest!" Lee said eagerly. "Whoever eats the most bowls wins!"

Sakura wobbled at the sheer thought of what the green clad ninja was getting himself into. "Ah, Lee, I don't think you want to do that kind of contest with Naruto-"

"Hey, who am I to deny my worthy opponent in the flame of youth a chance at besting me?" Naruto interrupted her, while rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Besides, I'm sure Lee will be happy to buy you some umeboshi!"

"Yosh! Prepare for defeat, my rival!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.

Sakura just shook her head in resignation. At least she would get some umeboshi before her afternoon shift at the hospital. "So, Lee-kun, with all the time you spend training, you don't spend much more than you did back when you were still making a genin's salary, right?"

"Less, actually, since I deprive myself of food sometimes to build my efficiency," Lee responded, nodding as if agreeing with himself. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason..." Sakura sighed, reaching up to massage the bridge of her nose as she started back toward the village. This was going to be a long lunch.

"Why is there a gleam in your eyes?" Lee suddenly shouted behind her, obviously toward Naruto.

Sakura just kept walking.

"YOSH! I know, it is because, as my eternal rival and a fellow bright flame of youth, you can not wait to attempt our challenge!"

A _very_ long lunch.

* * *

****

Sakura

* * *

Tsunade hated it when her old comrade was in town, partly because he _always_ stole her sake, but mostly because he was the only person who could make her feel like she was still twelve years old. Jiraiya had never been afraid of her, although he could be intimidated within reason. Still, no matter how hard she tried, she had never been able to make him afraid of her, nor make him stop arguing with her.

Or stop making her feel butterflies like a schoolgirl.

That was the real reason that she hated him, that he could _affect_ her like that. Even when Dan was alive, he had been able to do that on the rare occasion. Still, as much as she hated him, she couldn't quite bring herself to beat him into a bloody smear. Mostly because he was the only person from her early life she had left who wasn't dead, crazy or more of a faithful servant than a friend.

Jiraiya had been the one to seek her out after Nawaki's death and offer her some form of comfort. Tsunade could also remember that he had gotten falling-down drunk with her after her first break-up and, most importantly, he had been the only person besides the Sandaime to turn up at Dan's funeral. Considering how violently those two had gotten along, Tsunade knew just how much Jiraiya had cared about her.

So, she watched him greedily consume her sake and talk about trying to create a mainstream manga. Hated him for how he affected her and his lack of fear. Mostly, though, she wanted him to hurry up and kiss her, and instead of demanding that she started an argument.

Which was what Kakashi walked in on.

"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me?" Kakashi asked after carefully closing the door and visibly making sure he was not in the line of fire.

Thankfully, this provided Tsunade with the chance to shove her conflicting emotions aside and focus on being Hokage. Shooting her former teammate one last dark look, she focused on Kakashi completely. "Yes, I did."

Kakashi nodded, then reached up to scratch the back of his head. "Err...can I ask why?"

"Because I wanted to check on the runt's progress," Jiraiya grumbled from his spot on the couch. "He's too busy to spar."

"Ah," Kakashi said before raising his single visible eyebrow. "Though, don't you normally just ask me yourself?"

"Which is why **I **ordered you here," Tsunade said her gaze darkening. "Naruto is _my_ soldier, and I do have a personal interest in him, as well. So, naturally, I find it annoying that I am being kept in the dark as to his progress."

"Yeesh, woman, I already explained all of that," Jiraiya said, laying his head back on the couch. "We worked on seals, and he created a few prank jutsu."

"Seals?" Kakashi inquired blankly.

"Yeah," Jiraiya said, glancing at Kakashi without moving his head. "He has a knack for those. He even discovered a couple of new sealing methods and how to use seals to perform pranks. Master-level, easily but I doubt he'll ever get beyond that level, not enough patience."

"Which is all fine and dandy," Tsunade interrupted grumpily. "However, you've never mentioned just what jutsu you taught him."

"Hai," Kakashi said, sounding interested as well. "I've wondered about that as well. I listened to the explanation of his latest fight, and he has new jutsu, but nothing near what I expected."

"He had other things to learn," Jiraiya responded before sighing as he sat up. "Naruto had no social skills, no patience at all or much of anything else. I had to correct that-"

"Thus the seal training," Tsunade said, cutting him off. "But what Jutsu did you teach him, exactly?"

"Mostly Earth Jutsu from what I heard," Kakashi said before glancing at Jiraiya. "Which is fine, since he has a secondary earth-type chakra. Still, no wind jutsu, no advanced jutsu...Plus you have me teach him Nature Manipulation instead of doing so yourself."

"Well, you are more suited for that than me," Jiraiya explained. "Raikiri is Nature Manipulation taken to the extreme after all. Besides I _did_ help him develop some jutsu and taught him an advanced jutsu. Well, technically it'd be considered kinjutsu..."

Tsunade, whose attention had been lagging slightly since she had almost no interest in this type of discussion, suddenly sat bolt upright and focused on the white haired Sannin intently. "You taught him what?"

"Kinjutsu," Jiraiya responded casually.

"Explain. Now." Tsunade rapped out as she narrowed her eyes, wondering how stupid the man had to be to give such techniques to someone like Naruto.

"It was designed for use against the Akatsuki," Jiraiya explained, locking his gaze with hers, completely unintimidated. "Sakasagouka is _extremely_ deadly. Basically it sets off a chain reaction, inverting every trace of chakra in an area, making it explode violently."

"Like a positive and negative charge trying to co-exist in the same space," Kakashi summarized.

"Exactly. The smallest range for the chain reaction, from just Naruto, could possibly take out a Hidden Village the size of Kusa." Jiraiya said equally serious, without ever looking away from her. "Its not a move that he would ever use if he could help it."

"You said smallest range," Tsunade grated out. "What is the maximum yield?"

"He could conceivably destroy a country the size of Kusa no kuni," Jiraiya answered, frowning. "But only if he used both his own chakra and the Kyubi's."

"You. Fucking. Moron," Tsunade finally managed, staring at him in horror. "What would possess you to create that technique, let alone teach it to Naruto?!"

"I was being realistic, just like when I invented the Hakke no Fūin Shiki." Jiraiya responded. "We have to face the possibility that there is a chance Naruto could be captured or faced with a situation where he'll have no chance to survive. "

Tsunade bit her tongue at that, considering the truth behind his words. It was true, and it _was_ better that he had something for a last-ditch effort, but still...The sheer amount of damage that could do...Tsunade massaged her temples, almost groaning. If it wasn't for how things with the Yondaime had worked out, Tsunade would have ripped his head off for the sheer idiocy of this.

"Fine," Tsunade finally grated out giving Jiraiya a sour look. "So, what about those jutsu?"

"They were Naruto's idea actually," Jiraiya said, scanning her desk for a fresh bottle of sake.

"So he can create something other than the Sexy no Jutsu?" Kakashi remarked in amusement.

"Of course, he's not a _complete_ moron after all." Jiraiya said grinning. "Anyway, the first one he came up with was the Kazeryu no Jutsu."

"You mean Kazeryudan," Kakashi corrected automatically.

"No, its the Kazeryu, and it's A-ranked," Jiraiya said before glaring at Tsunade. "Where the hell is your sake?"

Tsunade smirked crossing her arms. "Out of your hands. Now finish telling us about Naruto's jutsu you foul-smelling lush."

"Oh, that's the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard it," Jiraiya shot back.

Tsunade merely arched an eyebrow, enjoying the frustration in his features. Then, remembering that they were supposed to be talking about Naruto and his abilities, she cleared her throat motioning for him to continue. Jiraiya sighed, muttered something and complied.

"Fine. Basically, it uses Wind to create a dragon...only unlike the other Dragon techniques 'Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu' and 'Katon: Karyu Endan' it can be used in any environment and its one handed."

"Because it's wind?" Kakashi guessed sighing.

"That and the fact that its being powered by a near-Kage amount of charka," Jiraiya shot back smiling. "It is highly destructive and very hard to control. So, naturally, he loves to use it when he can..."

"Naturally," Tsunade grumbled, beginning to drum her fingers on the desk. "So, what is the last justu?"

Jiraiya, apparently noticing her old habit that signaled impatience and danger, offered a placating smile as he held his hands up. "The Kazeho-ou no jutsu, the 'sister' move to the Kazeryu. Basically its weaker overall compared to the Kazeryu but due to the amount of detail and thus manipulation of form it is perfectly suited toward countering the Kazeryu."

Tsunade nodded, closing her eyes for a moment to absorb the information. Opening them once more, she stared at the two men before shaking her head. "Impressive, I'll say that."

"Thank you," Jiraiya beamed.

"However, I could have sworn **I** had explained the importance of making sure he could at least qualify for his dream job," Tsunade finished darkly, glaring at the man.

"Trust me, he'll qualify for Hokage even without meeting that 'Thousand Move' requirement," the large man said smugly, reaching out to pat Kakashi's shoulder. "Its all about quality over quantity, and with the Nature Manipulation, Hatake here is giving him, combined with the Form Manipulation Naruto will have quality out the wazoo."

"...Still, a thousand moves is a requirement," Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"If it was, then a one-trick pony like her couldn't have the job," Jiraiya said, gesturing at a scowling Tsunade.

Tsunade took a breath -several **deep** breaths actually- felt the vein in her forehead begin to throb and shot Jiraiya a look that made him turn green. Then, she began to climb to her feet.

"Ah ah," Kakashi said nervously, waving his hands attempting to forestall the coming slaughter. "He does have a point Hokage-sama, and if he can combine both Form and Nature Manipulation, he'll finally complete the Rasengan."

Tsunade grunted, preparing to stomp toward her almost cowering former teammate when what the JÅ?nin had said registered. Freezing, she gaped, staring at the man in surprise. The Rasengan was incomplete? The single most powerful jutsu she had ever seen was...flawed? Impossible, but that was what both were saying, or hinting at...

"Impossible,"

"Yondaime-sensei was trying to combine Nature Manipulation and Form manipulation. He took Form Manipulation to the highest level, the Rasengan. He always intended to combine the two, but it proved impossible for him and for me. Anyone that has tried has failed."

Jiraiya nodded, rubbing at his neck. "I figured that if Naruto could grasp the basics of the Rasengan in such a short amount of time, then maybe he could do it. Plus, he does have a way of making the impossible into merely difficult."

"True," Kakashi admitted, scratching at his cheek. "I believe Naruto is the only one that can do it."

Tsunade slowly eased herself back into her seat, staring at them, and then looked down at her hands. She wanted to rant at them about the sheer stupidity of expecting Naruto to surpass a legend, but she knew they were right. If anyone _could_ accomplish such a feat, it would be Naruto. Which meant...

"What happens when he does it?"

"He creates the only U-ranked jutsu in existence and completely surpasses the Yondaime," Jiraiya answered with smug satisfaction. "Completing the jutsu requires so much control, skill and power that, even if all of the Akatsuki worked together, I doubt they could hope to produce anything even close to the sheer devastating power of what Naruto will create."

"Also, since he knows Nature Manipulation and can use it, it'll help his other jutsu in terms of power and skill," Kakashi explained, his eye curving up in a smile while a heart floated behind his head. "He'll be stronger than me within three months, especially if he uses the training method I developed for him."

"Since he improves with each battle and strenuous training, such as Nature Manipulation training," Jiraiya added in mock aggravation, "give him a year and a half, and he should be able to match me."

"Unless he somehow manages to complete the rasengan and then...he's stronger than anybody." Kakashi added in amusement.

Tsunade was silent for several long minutes, the sheer amount of information she had gained nearly overwhelming her. Then came the realization that Naruto stood the best damn chance of actually becoming the Hokage, plus she now had a few ideas on how to confirm his status as the selected Candidate.

Which meant that, when she started smiling, it was rather evil. Ignoring the two men who shifted uneasily, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Oh, yes, things were looking good. "I can't _wait_ until the next Security Conclave."

"Uhhh, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi said nervously.

Tsunade looked at him, her grin if it was even possible, even more evil. "They want a Rokudaime Candidate, and now I have one."

* * *

****

Tsunade

* * *

"Oi, why do I have to handle the paperwork?"

"Naruto, as Hokage you'll have to deal with tons of paperwork, so you need to get used to doing this sort of tedious job." Iruka paused, nodding. "You need the experience..."

"Fine," Naruto muttered, glaring at Iruka and crossing his arms. "Oi, so, what you want me to do?"

"First, you can sit at your desk..." Iruka smiled, visibly relaxing as he gestured at a small desk stacked high with papers. "While I'm teaching, you can use my rubber stamp to confirm their grades."

Naruto grunted at the mere idea of what he would be doing, plus that looked like a great deal of paperwork he would be facing. Grumbling under his breath, Naruto sat down at his desk, then looked over at his adopted brother and angrily yanked the first sheet off the stack and began stamping paperwork in annoyance.

As he worked, he listened to Iruka's lesson absently; something about the Nidaime Hokage, but he wasn't entirely sure. Turning his full attention back to his paperwork, he frowned, wondering why the hell that stupid woman had to put him here. That was when he felt something approaching from the side, his years a prankster informing him that it was a spit wad.

Jerking his head out of the path, he turned, fixing his gaze on the startled child. "Oi! Don't you know who the hell I am?!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet angrily as he threw the stamp so that it bounced off the boy's forehead.

"Naruto, please-" Iruka almost begged, only to be cut off by said trouble maker.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The next Hokage and the NUMBER ONE PRANKSTER EVER!" Naruto gave every one of those brats a challenging gaze. Seeing the way they sort of sank into their seats, he grinned and sat back down. That would teach those stupid runts about trying to prank him!

"Aheh," Iruka said nervously. "Uhmm...n-now, the Nidame Hokage was known for what kind of techniques?"

Naruto tuned the class out, yet, minutes later, he realized that, at the rate he was going, he would be at this all damn day. No wonder Baa-chan was always trying to sneak out of her office. Hell, the next time he saw her, he was going to help! He shivered just thinking about having to deal with that fate himself when he became a Hokage.

However, it would be easier if he could finish the paperwork more quickly. Pausing, he considered that. How could he speed this up? Ahhh, the perfect answer. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Naru-wah!" Iruka screamed as the kids all yelped as well.

Naruto just grinned, looking around at the fifty grinning Kage Bunshin. "Yosh! Let's get to work!"

"Yatta!"

* * *

****

Naruto

* * *

It was days like this that Sakura hated working at the hospital. Her shoulders were sore, her lower back was throbbing and her left toe felt like it was jammed. Which wasn't surprising, considering what she had just done for the last eight hours. Any other job and she could have justified taking a day off, but since she worked at the hospital she couldn't do that.

She just prayed that she could avoid the Emergency Department. The last thing she needed was to use up even more of her chakra. Maybe she would luck out and get assigned to exams and treatments; that wouldn't be so bad. However, since she was the lowest on the totem pole, she had very little say, despite her ability to outperform most of the other staff.

Experience trumped sheer skill in the hospital.

Sighing, she pushed her way into the lobby, nodding at the on duty nurse. "Quiet day?"

"Yeah," the nurse responded before returning to filing her nails.

"Great," Sakura muttered making a bee line for the stairs. Well, if it was slow, she could probably slip off to her office for a nap. Sakura nearly snorted at that; her 'office' was actually a converted broom closet, and she only had that because of her status as Tsunade's apprentice.

Not that the connection meant much of anything else in the hospital. After all, she was the youngest doctor on staff and, by their standards, still raw. Not enough experience. Thus, despite her connection with the Hokage, she was given the smallest office available. Plus, she had to deal with interns on a regular basis.

Climbing the flight of stairs to the second floor, she paused and then started along the hallway, keeping a weather eye out for anyone who could put a stop to her nap. Pushing open the access door, she started up the next set of stairs, smug in her thoughts about taking the back way to her office.

Three floors later, she grinned and stepped out into the hallway, striding purposely toward the double doors that separated the offices from the rest of the floor. Her sought-after nap was within her grasp now; as long as she didn't let anyone stop her, she'd be home free.

"Oh! Sakura-senpai!"

Wincing, Sakura slowed to a halt and then turned to stare at the breathless intern who was holding a clipboard tightly to her chest. The girl looked slightly anxious, and Sakura had a feeling that this was the girl's first solo case. Sakura could almost remember feeling overwhelmed back then as well, but she had been blindly confident, too.

"Koukin-san?" Sakura said politely, offering a reassuring smile.

"Umm, I was wondering if you could maybe...give me an idea about a patient Shizune-dono gave me," the girl said hopefully.

"I guess so," Sakura said, reaching out to take the clipboard and flip through the contents. "First cases can always be overwhelming." Sakura paused, scowled and flipped back to the first chart before blinking. There was nothing to indicate any problem. Glancing up at the intern, she arched an eyebrow. "So, what's the story?"

"I'm not sure," Koukin offered, moving around to point at a few items on the sheet. "His pulse is normal; blood pressure is a little high, but nothing out of the ordinary; and respiration is fine."

"I noticed that," Sakura said, frowning slightly as she noticed the name of the patient. "You ordered a PT, Chem-7, blood gas, UA, WBC and a tox screen?"

"Well, I wanted to be thorough," the intern offered weakly, "and he was complaining about things that could suggest serious problems," Koukin finished defensively.

"I see," Sakura drawled before handing the clipboard back to Koukin. "Last month, he claimed to have a pulmonary disease."

"But, none of his previous tests-"

"Think about it for a moment," Sakura said cutting the intern off. "He's in good health. His records indicate that he's been in good health for years..."

"A hypochondriac!" Koukin exclaimed with wide eyes. "W-why would Shizune-dono give me a hypochondriac?"

"A test, I guess," Sakura answered with a shrug. "See, it's not enough just to run tests. You have to do some detective work and think about more than what your patient is complaining about. Take into account past medical history, former physicians and even prescribed medicine."

"I...just thought..."

"I know," Sakura said in understanding as she reached out to touch Koukin's shoulder. "However, you wasted an hour or more on this case while expending the hospital's resources on a case that didn't need them."

"So, what do I do?" Koukin nearly whimpered.

"First, you learn from this," Sakura said firmly, then held a finger up along with an unpleasant smirk. "Second, you give him several humiliating tests that won't expend hospital resources and third you write him a prescription for Giyaku."

"But that's a placebo."

"Yeah, but it'll keep him out of here for a month or so," Sakura explained and then turned, walking away from the intern at a brisk pace. She wasn't about to risk letting another intern catch her; as it was, Sakura had gotten off lucky. Any other intern would have chewed her ear off with questions or praise, even the legality of giving humiliating tests.

Chuckling to herself, Sakura finally slipped into her office and, with a sigh of relief, slumped against the door. Pushing off, Sakura made the short trip to her battered desk and sat down heavily, glaring at the rather drab room. The only way you could even tell someone was using it as an office was the scroll shelf and the picture on her desk of Team Seven.

Shaking her head, Sakura crossed her arms on the desk and rested her chin against them, almost instantly falling asleep.

"Sakura? Sakura?" someone was saying, shaking her shoulder rather insistently.

"Y-" Sakura started to say before yawning. "Yes?" Lifting her head, she stared blearily at the figure hovering over her. "Shizune?"

"You're suppose to be on duty," the dark haired woman responded, moving back around the desk toward the door.

"O-okay," Sakura managed, sitting up while stifling yet another yawn. Stretching, she winced, then frowned, staring at the other woman. "Iâ€™m sorry...er, how long was I out?"

"When'd you come in?"

"Noon, I think," Sakura offered, resuming her stretching. "Ugh, why is it whenever I sleep at my desk my shoulders hurt?"

"About twenty minutes, then," Shizune said in exasperation. "Sakura-san, picking up all of Tsunade-sama's habits is not an endearing trait."

"I know, sorry," Sakura muttered, once more appreciating the patience that her master had with this woman. Sakura had never realized just how...annoying...Shizune could be until she had gone to work with the older woman in the hospital.

"Anyway, you have a weak and dizzy in Exam 2 and abdominal pain in Curtain 1," Shizune explained while crossing her arms. "Oh, and bleeding hemorrhoids in Exam 8."

Sakura couldn't help but wince. That would not be a pleasant case. "Why not let a nurse handle that one?"

"Fine," Shizune said, in much the same tone as when she was dealing with the Hokage. "Then you have the boil that needs lancing in Exam 5."

"Oh, terrific," Sakura muttered, glaring at the older woman. Moving to get up, she paused, wincing in pain as a muscle in her back went taunt.

"What's wrong?" Shizune asked, anxiously moving back over to her side.

"Ahhh, nothing, nothing..." Sakura managed, easing herself back into her seat while placing a glowing hand on the offending muscle. Shooting a glare at the Team Seven picture, particularly at Naruto, she snorted in frustration. "I don't get it! I'm one of the strongest kunoichi in this village, definitely the strongest of my group."

"Well yes, but what does-"

"I've fought an S-ranked criminal and won!" Sakura exclaimed, slamming her hand on the desk, which toppled the picture over. She couldn't help it, but that sparring match with Naruto and even the second bell test had frustrated her beyond all understanding.

"Let me guess," Shizune said after a moment. "Naruto-kun?"

"Yes!"

Shizune smiled slightly, reaching out to set the picture upright. "I'm told Jiraiya-sama often had the same effect on Tsunade-sama when they were about your age."

Sakura snorted, then began chewing her bottom lip before glancing up at Shizune guardedly. "There's something else, though..."

"I'm listening."

"I hesitated," Sakura said slowly. "At the beginning of the match, I was in the right position. I could have knocked him out cold. Hell, I could have done that a half dozen times; even if he blocked, I could have powered through and laid him out. At the end, I could have done it, but instead I just-"

"Hesitated."

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, cradling her head in her hands. "I just...I just couldn't, and I don't get it."

"Well, he is your friend..."

"That's just it! I've never hesitated before," Sakura exclaimed, looking up at the older woman before turning her attention to the picture. Reaching out, she picked it up, studying those young faces. "I just don't get why I did this time. All he did was smile and say something about how even if I was cute he wouldn't take it easy on me."

"That is strange," Shizune said thoughtfully. "Maybe you should talk to Hinata-" Shizune started to say until she was interrupted by the sound of glass cracking.

Sakura blinked in surprise, staring at the spider webs radiating out from her thumb on the glass. Why the hell had she done that? All Shizune had said was Hinata's name, but there was no reason to react just from hearing that girl's name. Yet, her control had slipped and broken the glass.

"She might be able to help since she used to have the same problem in holding back." Shizune finished, before taking the frame from her hand. "Hmm, I'll get you a new one." That said the older woman sat the broken frame on the desk and walked back toward the door.

Sakura blinked then shaking her head in exasperation rose and followed.

* * *

****

Sakura

* * *

Naruto sighed and leaned back to stare at the sliding wood and paper door, pleased that Hinata had been right about how easy it would be to install. He smiled and chuckled, deciding that asking her to explain things about this place was a good idea. In all honesty, Naruto felt completely out of place there. For one thing, it was much larger than what he was used to.

For another, it was way too traditional for his tastes.

He was still confused about the lack of a real living room or bedroom. Hinata had explained that, because of doors -she called them fusuma- like the one he had just installed, any room could be a living room or bedroom. Shaking his head, Naruto climbed to his feet and stretched, then grabbed his jacket and walked outside to the veranda.

Looking around at the various clones doing yard work and cleaning, he sighed. He was definitely not going to adjust to this place any time soon. It was also a bit bland, which he supposed was an improvement over the original gloom. Still, the sooner he could add his own touch the better; but, first, he had to get the place cleaned and repaired.

Whistling a jaunty tune, he turned, walking toward the extension of the main house where the kitchen and dining room were located, wondering what Hinata was making. She had asked, blushing slightly, if she could cook dinner, and Naruto, glutton that he sometimes was, agreed. He did feel slightly guilty, since he had only asked her over to help unpack the few things he still owned.

On the other hand, Hinata seemed rather happy to do this sort of stuff, and she was just too adorable when in this sort of homemaker mode to argue with. Chuckling, Naruto walked into the kitchen only to pause as he saw her fussing over what appeared to be rice balls.

Hmm, that was an odd dinner. Oh, well, even if it wasn't glorious ramen, it would still be food!

"Oi, Hinata-chan-" Naruto started to say, then jerked in surprise when Hinata jumped as if caught at doing something embarrassing. Scratching the back of his head, he walked toward her, rounding the kitchen island to stare at her blushing face. "Something wrong?"

"N-no Naruto-kun, I was just...uhmm..." Hinata stammered, trying to block his view of the rice balls.

"Just what?" Naruto asked, suspiciously locking his gaze on her and smiling at the small traces of her furious efforts at cooking. Spotting one on the bridge of her nose, he poked it with his finger "You have flour on your nose!"

Hinata blushed even redder and reached up to touch her nose, which only added even more flour and caused Naruto to start laughing. Seeing her mounting frustration and sensing her embarrassment, Naruto grabbed her wrists, laughing. "Here, let me help." He grabbed the nearest rag and carefully cleaned the flour off before nodding. "There ya go."

"Anou, thank you..." Hinata said softly, still blushing. However, when Naruto leaned forward to peek over her shoulder, she reacted by placing a hand on his chest firmly. "P-please, Naruto-kun...I want it to be a surprise..."

"A surprise, huh?" Naruto inquired, raising an eyebrow, his smile never fading. Seeing her anxious look, he relented, easing back. "I guess I should go in the dining room, then..." When she nodded, giving him an adorable little smile, he did just that.

Damn, it was hard to argue with her when she decided to smile at him like that.

Shaking his head, he entered the dinning room and then, spotting the low table, made his way toward it. Flopping to the ground at one side, he pulled off his jacket, then stretched before leaning back on his hands. Looking around the room, he sighed, then frowned as he noticed a battered shoe box. It was in the corner, and it looked as if it had been recently opened, but he couldn't remember ever having a shoe box of anything.

He was just preparing to get up and see what, exactly, was inside the box when Hinata came out with a plate of rice balls.

Shifting his attention back to her, he raised an eyebrow, wondering about the touch of yellow he noticed, which was answered when she set the plate down. Sitting forward, he blinked, then looked up at her and then back, trying to process the fact that some of the rice balls resembled him. They had his yellow hair -he wasn't sure what she used for that- his whisker-marks and his trademark grin and half-closed eyes.

Even more amazing was the fact that the other rice balls resembled Hinata, which was rather impressive. Blinking, he looked up at her in amazement. "Uhmmm...Is there a reason why they look like us?"

"A-anou, I just uhmm..." Hinata lowered her head slightly, voice dropping. "Uhmm, I got carried away Naruto-kun..."

Naruto shook his head, then absently reached out for a rice ball. Taking a bite, he grinned; it didn't taste all that bad. Glancing at the ball in his hand, he chuckled, thinking about how he was eating one that looked like Hinata. Suddenly, he started choking, eyes wide and blushing, realizing what he had just thought.

He was eating Hinata.

That was perverted as hell, and he could only blame that damn pervert of a sensei. Great now not only was he paranoid, he was becoming as perverted as that white haired leech.

"A-anou...are you alright?" Hinata asked anxiously, fingers near her mouth.

Pounding his chest, he nodded, still coughing. Then, not meeting her eyes, he cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah...just...some of the food went down the wrong way.."

"Oh," Hinata said after a moment. "Uhmm if the rice balls aren't...I can make something else."

"No, they're fine," Naruto said reassuringly before he coughed once more.

"It, anou, it wouldn't be any t-trouble-"

"No, it's okay, really," Naruto said, giving her his best smile. "Was just too greedy..." Cheeks burning still, he scratched the back of his head, taking another bite of his rice ball and praying that he could keep his thoughts clean.

Hinata, now mollified and reassured, smiled back as she selected one for herself. "I uhmm, the recipe I used came from my mother," Hinata explained, careful as always just to take a polite bite, while her eyes got a faraway look to them. "She said I would make a great wife someday."

"Oi, I think so, too," Naruto agreed, munching away on his fifth ball.

"Y-you think so?" Hinata asked as if she was startled.

"Yeah, sure!" Naruto exclaimed smiling at her, his mouth full and the edges of his mouth covered with crumbs. "You're beautiful and smart...plus you cooking's really awesome!"

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata mumbled, an odd look on her face.

Naruto, however, was oblivious to the implications of what he was saying. It was the truth, but, still, he was eating, and when he was eating very little of what he said actually registered. Finishing his latest rice ball, he looked at her, confused by the stunned look she was giving him.

Shrugging, he wiped his hands on his pants and nodded at the shoe box. "Oi, so what's in the box?"

"B-box?" Hinata mumbled as if lost, then looked around to spot the box and then looked back at him with realization. "Oh! That uhmm...I found it earlier. It's a box of pictures..."

"Really?" Naruto blinked, then hopped up to retrieve the box and returned, flopping down next to her. "So this is where they went!"

"Anou, it was uhmm...it was under your clothes in the Oshiire," Hinata offered, showing interest as he began to lift out a stack of photos.

"This is great!" Naruto beamed, kissing her cheek in appreciation. "I was worried that whatever baka that packed my stuff forgot them." Turning his attention back to the pictures in his hand, he felt a sense of relief. While he didn't have many, the ones he did have were very precious to him.

Like the one on top of the stack, which was taken shortly after he had been made a full-fledged ninja. It was of him and Iruka eating ramen together and grinning. Glancing at his curious-looking girlfriend, he handed her the picture, explaining. "Remember that whole Mizuki crap? This was right after Iruka-sensei got out of the hospital! His treat to celebrate my graduation."

"Oh!" Hinata breathed, staring at the picture with a small smile before setting it aside to stare at the next one in his hands. "Anou, why are you...why do you have..."

"Hehehe," Naruto said glancing at the picture of him crouching next to Gai's turtle, pretending to be a turtle -with his jacket pulled up over his head- while Lee threw a jump kick and Gai gave that 'good guy' pose. "I couldn't resist! Lee and Gai thought it was my youth power flowering!"

"Oh, no," Hinata mumbled, staring at him in horror.

"It wasn't though!" Naruto said quickly. "I just wanted to pretend to be a turtle!"

"Anou, good...I...I don't think I could handle..." Hinata didn't finish her statement, instead giggling slightly. "I can't believe you did that..."

Naruto offered her a grin, then quickly moved on to the next picture, fearful that she might decide she liked green spandex. "Oh, this one! First time anyone ever helped me on a prank." It was one of his fonder memories, and he still wasn't sure how he got Sakura to help him steal the Sandaime's hat.

Or to pose with him, but there they were, Naruto with a mile-wide grin on his face, and Sakura flashing a peace sign.

Glancing at Hinata, preparing to lay out the details, he noticed a disappointed look on her face. Turning back to the picture, he frowned. He might not _know_ what was wrong, but he knew something was. So, he did the obvious thing: he tossed it and the few other photos back in the box and nodded at a startled-looking Hinata. "Let's take a picture, Hina-chan. Just the two of us."

"B-but..." Hinata stammered, staring at him in surprise. "I-its okay, Nar-"

"Oh, come on!" Naruto almost shouted, poking her playfully in the ribs. "You know you want to!"

Hinata blushed and moved away from the poke slightly. "Anou, but shouldn't the picture be unplanned?"

"Awww, you don't wanna take a picture with me?" Naruto said teasingly as he began to tickle her. "Pwetty pwease?"

Hinata, now laughing, began to wiggle and playfully slap at his hands, trying to escape. "S-stop...hehehe...don't tickl-...Naruto-kun please...hahehehehehe." Her protests, however, were soon lost in her laughter, which only increased when Naruto leaned forward, his tone almost turning babyish.

"Take a picture-wicture with your Naru-kun."

"Hehehehehehe...al-alrig-ompfh!" Hinata suddenly gasped as Naruto apparently overbalanced in his tickling and carried her backwards to the floor, landing on top of her. However, the tickling was far from over, only now Hinata fought back and, without realizing it, they began to roll around on the floor, caught up in their tickle fight.

At least, until one of Naruto's hands ended up someplace new to the both of them.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelped, which in turn froze Naruto in his tracks. Realizing what had happened he blushed and closed his eyes experience telling him that he would soon be hit and that he should wait for it.

When the blow didn't arrive he blinked and looked at her, amazed and relieved to see that he wasn't the only one blushing.

"Anou...m-maybe we...should...uhm...g-get u-" Hinata started to suggest, right until Naruto did the stupidest thing imaginable. He kissed her. She made a soft, instinctive noise of protest, but returned the kiss happily enough.

Naruto was just beginning to think that maybe he might be able to leave his hand in place, when a flash suddenly went off. Jerking away, to his own disappointment and the sound of Hinata's whimper, he snapped his attention to the intruder only to discover a medium sized toad on the table, holding a camera and grinning as only a toad could.

"I didn't..." Naruto blinked, confused. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"The others were busy so that old pervert asked me deliver a message," the Toad explained, then gave a thumbs up. "Do a lil dance, make a lil love, get down tonight!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'm. Going. To. Kill. You."

The toad in question froze, its blue skin paling in fear. "Uhmm, I didn't mean to...you know I just thought that old man would be interest-oh shit!" The toad shouted, jumping over the diving Naruto while making a hasty exit out of the dinning room.

Seconds later an engaged Naruto was hot on his heels leaving a blushing and completely dazed Hinata behind.

* * *

AN:

Naruto, Gai and Lee: Official Art book

Naruto and Iruka Ramen: Official Art book, picture 66

The Hokage picture: Inspired by a fanart picture

* * *

_Omake:_

Later That Night:

"A-anou, maybe you should let him go?" Hinata asked after a moment, glancing at the toad that was hogtied and hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Nah," Naruto said stretching. "So how was your day?"

"It was..." Hinata paused and looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Anou, Naruto... Um, you remember what I said about, ah, pranking Kiba?"

"Yeah, didn't you say not to do anything unless he starts it?"

Hinata nodded and rubbed her fingers together nervously. "Well, anou, I'd like you to, um, well, forget it. Ah, in fact, anou, if you get him really good, you get... you get free, anou, under-the-shirt, um, access..."

Naruto froze, his eyes going starry as he stared at her with a wide beaming grin. "It's a dream come true! I get rewarded for doing something I wanted to do anyway!"


	5. Chapter 4: Swilring Tides

Naruto:_  
Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 4  
_-Konohagakure no Seto:  
Swirling Tides-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

Weaving his way through the crowded street, Naruto just barely bit back his groan. If it hadn't been for his innate healing ability, he'd still be sporting a large bruise where Sakura had decked him. Still, even without the bruise it hurt like hell. Seriously, every time she punched him; he was starting to wonder if she was trying to kill him.

Not that he could really blame her for taking things up a notch. After all, they had spent a month of their limited time in constant training. With each passing day, Sakura became more intent, Naruto stronger -from team training and the special private training he was doing- and Lee more serious. All three were aware of the approaching deadline two months left, and if they failed this time, they wouldn't get another chance.

Seeing a young couple kissing, Naruto found himself turning his mind to other thoughts, mainly about his shy girlfriend and how much he wanted to just grab Hinata and kiss her in full view of everyone. This was complicated by two facts: one, she was on a mission; and two, Hinata was not good with public displays of affection.

Not that she wasn't 'affectionate' -sometimes he was downright amazed at how affectionate she could be- but that was in private. When they were alone, they could kiss, hug and do other couple-y things... with only the occasional faint. In public, though, she almost swooned just from holding his hand or a kiss to the cheek. Naruto just didn't get it, and Hinata couldn't entirely explain the reason for her preference.

Not that he was going to complain. After all, better to have a tigress behind closed doors than not to have a tigress at all. Or something like that; Naruto wasn't entirely sure, he just knew he preferred having her over not having her. He wasn't even entirely certain why or how he had come to care for her like he did, especially since, when he had been younger, he had never dreamed that he could stop caring for Sakura.

It was a bit disconcerting, and he sometimes wondered if he wasn't just using Hinata. He rejected that thought, though, because every time he thought about the way her face lit up when she smiled, his heart sped up. Shaking his head and shoving those thoughts aside, he entered the academy and, with a jaunty whistle, strode through the halls, heading for his classroom.

Maybe he could talk to Iruka about what was going on; he sure as hell wasn't going to mention it to Jiraiya. Opening the door he walked into the room, ready to toss a greeting at his quasi-father/brother, and froze finding the man absent. Frowning, he turned to look at the rambunctious class, hearing for the first time what they were saying.

"Did you hear? We're getting a substitute."

"No way!"

"Yeah! So, you know that means, right?!"

"Hehe, fun time!"

Naruto shook his head and walked to his desk, where, much to his distress, he found a note from Iruka. Picking it up, Naruto almost winced, wondering why Iruka wanted him to teach the class until he got back from wherever he had gone.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Frowning, Naruto looked up at the horsing around on display. Part of him approved that, after all he had been the same way at that age. Still, Iruka had asked him to handle the class, and that was a sign of trust from the first person to really recognize him, which meant he had a choice: he could let these brats keep running wild or he could prove himself to Iruka.

Climbing to his feet, he walked around to Iruka's desk, annoyed that nobody was paying any attention to him. That was okay; they'd be scared spitless of him in a minute. Gathering his chakra, making sure to do as Sakura had told him and use only a tiny amount, he prepared the Ikaku no jutsu they had been working on.

Once ready, he projected the feeling of intimidation at the children who all seemed to freeze and tremble, eyes staring at him in wide eyed shock.

"That's better." Naruto grinned, allowing a smirk to show up. "Oi, so, Iruka-sensei isn't here, and he asked me to handle things until he got here."

"Hey, why should we listen to you?" one of the braver students protested from his seat. "You're just some assistant!"

Naruto promptly preformed a Shunshin to cover the distance and bash the boy on his head. "'Cause I'm bigger than you, and I have no problem kicking all of your ass." Looking around he grinned viciously. "So, we all understand each other, right? Great!"

He marched back to the front of the room and picked up Iruka's notes, then scratched his head, glancing sheepishly at them, unsure of what they were actually supposed to be covering now. He was saved from suffering for too long when a curly-haired girl raised her hand, staring at him with her large brown eyes. "Er...yeah?"

"Uhmm, Iruka-sensei said we'd start on the Yondaime today."

"Ah! Thanks, Chiba-chan!" Naruto said happily, amazed to see the girl flush faintly at the acknowledgement. Shrugging that off, he rubbed his hands together. "Oi, so...uhmm, what do you guys know about the Yondaime?"

"He was the strongest Hokage!"

"He was really handsome!"

"He killed the KyÅ«bi!"

"He...uhmm..."

"Naruto-sensei," Chiba said raising her anxiously, almost bouncing in her seat.

"Uhh, yeah?"

Climbing to her feet, she grinned, her voice strong and steady. "The Yondaime Hokage was the student of Jiraiya-sama of the Densetsu no Sannin, could summon Gamabunta the frog boss and created several jutsu still in use today. He was especially feared during the Third Secret Shinobi Wars, often being referred to as Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō. He was chosen as the Yondaime over Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin and is often considered the strongest Hokage ever."

"Geez, what'd you do interview Ero-sennin?" Naruto muttered, both impressed and disturbed that the girl could know all that.

"Huh? Ero-sennin?"

"Jiraiya," Naruto responded blinking. "And they're toads, not frogs."

"..."

Seeing the looks he blinked, taken back. Ok, this was just freaky. What was wrong, did he have something on his face or had a sound-nin managed to sneak in?

"N-Naruto-sensei, you know Jiraiya-sama?" Chiba asked in amazement, as if she couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Er...yeah, I spent the last two and a half years training with that smelly oaf." Naruto shrugged, blinking.

"No way," one of the boys shouted. "If he did, then he'd like...be able to summon frogs or something."

"I told you, there toads," Naruto said, then mentally slapped his forehead, amazed at how much like Jiraiya he was getting on that point.

"Is there a difference?"

"To those damn toads there is," Naruto grumbled crossing his arms.

"Naruto-sensei," one of the kids said, raising his hand. "Um, my dad said something about how the Yondaime could make chakra appear in his hand..."

"The Rasengan?" Naruto asked before holding his hand out where chakra swirled to life. Seeing the students' interest, he grinned. "It's an A-ranked technique and really powerful!" Then, remembering that he was suppose to be teaching a class, he allowed the move to disappear before scratching his cheek. "Er...how about we do a review on the Yondaime..."

Chuckling at their groans and grumbles, Naruto hopped up on the edge of the desk to watch as he rattled off numbers and questions as he flipped through a text book or rummaged through his memories of what Jiraiya had told him about the man. Things were going pretty smoothly when Iruka finally arrived and, glancing at the scared Chūnin, Naruto flashed him a grin along with a peace sign.

Iruka, however, was staring at the students, for once looking studious, then shifted his attention to Naruto. "They're listening...to you."

"Yup! Just had to get their attention." Naruto grinned, crossing his arms. "Oi, did you think I'd let them just go wild? I'm the next Hokage, damn it."

"You," Iruka paused then shook his head in amazement, not looking away from the students even as he walked over to pat Naruto's shoulder. "Incredible."

"Hehehehe, and I didn't even have to get Gamabunta to squish one!"

* * *

****

Naruto

* * *

"I am sorry to disturb you, Hyūga-sama, but Elder Higure is requesting to see you."

Hiashi nodded slightly, keeping the surprise and worry off his face. "Very well, please show him in."

The Branch member bowed once more and retreated, giving Hiashi the chance to gather his thoughts. Hyūga Higure was the oldest living member of the Elders -he had been an elder when Haishi's father had been head of the Clan, and the spokesman for any official business. So, whatever had brought the elder here had to be extremely important and very serious.

Seconds later, his door was opened, allowing the blind, wizened old man, dressed in an immaculately white kimono, to enter on the arm of a young Hyūga woman. When the old man was seated comfortably, the woman bowed once to Hiashi, who returned the nod briefly, then quickly exited the room closing the door behind her.

A moment stretched out between the two men, Hiashi fascinated as always to see Byakugan- enhanced blind eyes. Finally, Hiashi spoke, his tone friendly.

"You are welcome, Elder Higure."

"Thank you, Lord," Higure said in the barest of whispers. "I am saddened to hear the cares of the world in your voice. One so young should never be troubled so."

"It is my responsibility," Hiashi responded formally, crossing his arms so that he could hide both of his hands in his sleeves. "I am the Head of the Clan; if I do not take on the cares of the world, who would?"

"Of course," Higure allowed, a ghost of a smile appearing. "Spoken as a true Hyūga, much like your father."

"Thank you. Please excuse me for keeping you waiting."

"Please excuse me for troubling you," Higure returned politely before growing serious. "The other Elders have asked me to speak to you, about your decision concerning Uzumaki-sama."

"What is there to discuss?" Hiashi asked firmly, straightening his back to ease the ache in his shoulders.

"For myself, nothing. As you correctly pointed out to Elder Hinoiri, she is your daughter, and it is none of our affair." Hiashi nodded, those oddly blank eyes making it feel as if they were piercing through to his soul. "However, the others do not share this opinion, -indeed, they have discussed the whole affair for a month and have finally reached a conclusion."

"They have?"

"Yes, Hyūga-sama," Higure said his mood turning almost sour. "They have decided that one of your daughters must be entered into the Branch Family now. They claim there can be no more delay in this matter. So sorry, but they are very insistent on this."

Hiashi frowned, keeping his initial reaction of killing all of the elders in check, allowing only his right eye to twitch slightly in displeasure. Then, finally, he spoke, his tone firm. "No."

"Eh? What did you say?"

"I said no," Hiashi explained, his voice firm as ever. "The agreement between myself and the Elders declared that, until Hanabi's twelfth birthday, neither can be entered into the Branch Family. If they can so callously disregard such an honorable agreement, then I shall be forced to handle matters in a very serious manner."

"You are playing with fire," Higure said in his whispering tone. "They believe completely in the superiority of the Hyūga blood; they will do anything to ensure it is not tainted and that the Clan is not disgraced by marriage with an outsider."

"I am aware of that," Hiashi said as firmly as ever. "However, I am also aware that their blind bigotry, their insane corruption of Eugenics, is finally beginning to kill us."

"Hyūga-sama," Higure said, then paused, his voice growing concerned as he continued. "Hiashi-kun, please be careful in this matter. It is more dangerous than you realize. If you offend the Elders, they will be greatly displeased."

"Let them be offended."

"I caution you, Lord, do not do this. They will solve this problem in a very unsatisfactory way, as they have before. As the past Elders handled Hinode-sama," Higure paused his tone disgusted. "As he was truly handled."

Hiashi frowned, grasping the truth of that statement. While the story they told claimed Hinode had died from a mysterious disease, the truth was that the Elders had poisoned Hinode because he refused to allow them to do as they had always done, control the clan while claiming only to be advisors.

Hiashi knew exactly what he was facing, and he had only one response.

"If they take any action to counter my authority concerning this clan or my daughters, then, of course, so sorry, but for betraying the clan I will have to allow the instabilities of this clan be known. I have already written the letter, and it will be delivered to the Hokage even if I should have an accident or, kami forbid, ill-health."

Higure was silent for a moment, then he smiled ever-so-slightly. "Your father would truly be proud of you, Hyūga-sama."

"Thank you." Hiashi offered a polite half bow, knowing that, for the moment, things were safe.

* * *

****

Hiashi

* * *

Kiba was walking point, Akamaru at his side, wondering about the stiffness in his limbs. Stifling a yawn, he shook his head slightly, patting a cheek to stay awake. He couldn't help it, but the last mission had been a lot of trouble, and it had worn him and his teammates out. Plus, for the last few days they had been traveling in silence which wasn't unpleasant, since it was a comfortable silence, but it wasn't exactly helping him stay awake.

Yawning yet again, he grouchily looked over head at the canopy of leaves, then sighed. Glancing to his left at Hinata, he smiled tiredly. "Hinata, how far to the village?"

The girl in question jerked slightly as if startled -which she probably was, Kiba decided- then, realizing what he had asked her, concentrated the chakra around her eyes. Kiba hid his grin as he saw the way that space between her eyebrows wrinkled in concentration.

"Anou, ten or twenty minutes," Hinata finally said, her voice firm.

"Ahah!" Kiba said, some energy finding its way back into his voice as he reached over to scratch the large white dog's head. "See, we'll be home soon, and then you'll get to chase all the cats you want!" Akamaru barked in agreement, his tongue lolling out as he suddenly shot forward on a stampede to the village.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kiba shouted, waving a fist after the dog. "Akamaru! Geez, what is it with him?"

"I've heard that pets often take after their owners," Shino offered.

Kiba snorted, then his mind shifted to Hinata, and he couldn't help but grin. "Well, then why isn't Hinata wearing orange?" Laughing, he glanced at his now-confused female teammate, then laughed even harder as she finally got his meaning. "O-or maybe...hehehe...maybe he's her pet! I can see it now: her scratching him behind the ears, the house training..."

Hinata was turning a bright red, and Kiba just laughed harder. Oh sure, Shino made his disapproving sound, and Hinata was embarrassed, but damn it, the mental images where hilarious! For once, since the surprise of the two of them hooking up, Kiba could honestly say he was amused.

He'd never had a reason to tease Hinata this much before!

Calming down, he offered a chuckling apology, and they continued walking. Kiba, though, kept thinking about the various images that came to mind concerning his earlier jokes; it was all he could do to keep from breaking out into a gale of laughter. Then again, they were awfully close to Konoha, and he had the feeling Naruto would be around.

That made Kiba sober up slightly; if there was one thing the dog-ninja had learned quickly, it was that it making fun of Hinata in private was one thing but doing it where Naruto could potentially over hear was another. As a matter of fact, it was doing just that -during Kiba and Naruto's brief prank war last month- which had caused that Konohamaru kid to get the 'Works,' as Naruto called it.

Kiba called it a prank slaughter. As a matter of fact, he was still trying to figure out how some of those prank jutsu worked! Actually, now that he thought about it, Kiba wondered if that little runt would ever get his hair back to its original shade.

Or, for that matter, if he would ever get the neon green 'pervert' off his forehead...

Then again, in Kiba's opinion, it served the prick right for making fun of Hinata. That was something only Kiba could do. He had earned that damned right! Still, the point was that it had taught Kiba to be careful of what he said about the two of them when they were around other people.

Shaking his head while shoving thoughts of pranks, teasing and little pricks named Konohamaru -stupid name!- Kiba thought instead of what they should do after getting back from one of their rare missions without Kurenai tagging along. "Hey, you guys wanna grab a bite after we get back?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Shino nod in agreement and then, grinning, he looked over at Hinata. "Hina-" he paused, however, seeing the faraway look on her face and sighed in annoyance. As much fun as teasing Hinata was, she was almost ALWAYS preoccupied with thoughts about Naruto.

If he heard that silly 'Naru-kun' one more time, he was gonna snap. When they were younger, he had shrugged her obsession off, but now he was finding it down right annoying. Turning his attention back to the path, he snorted, trying to resign himself to the fact that he was just a grouchy bastard.

Jealous, too, but not because he had a crush like Shino had suggested a few days ago. It was just that, over the last few years, he had gotten used to Hinata paying attention to him. Kiba knew it was stupid, but he liked attention, which did not equate into a crush.

Hell if that was the case, then every time Shino ignored him to go play with his bugs, Kiba would have to declare himself bi-sexual! Which he bloody well wasn't, as many Konoha girls could attest to. Thinking about his various girlfriends, he grinned almost wolfishly. "Hehehe, I wonder if Yuriko-chan will feel like going out tonight."

"Anou," Hinata said suddenly from beside him. "Oh, Kiba-kun... Did you say something?"

"Huh? No," Kiba answered, grinning. "Just thinking about going out..."

"Oh," Hinata said, flashing a pleasant smile at him. "I'm supposed to be meeting Naruto for lunch when we get back. He asked me to cook again!"

Kiba blinked, then shook his head. Women! If he had ever asked Hinata to do that, or Kurenai-sensei, he'd have been given a firm 'No.' "Well, that's cool... More food for me and Shino!" For emphasis, he slung an arm around the startled bug user while flashing a peace sign, and Hinata giggled, shaking her head.

* * *

****

Kiba

* * *

Dodging and weaving, Hanabi worked her way through the hail of kunai and other projectiles, trying to close the gap between herself and her training partner. This proved futile, as no sooner had she cleared the field of projectiles than she discovered Tenten was already in the air, surrounded by two scrolls.

"Sōshōryū!"

Hanabi couldn't help but frown even as she slid her foot into position and then expelled her chakra while performing Kaiten. Tenten normally didn't use this;, was she not thinking? No, this entire match had seemed off, as if Tenten had no desire to actually be here. As if to hammer this point home, Tenten's assault was cut short, which threw Hanabi off balance for a moment.

Coming out of the spin, the younger girl paused to study the weapons-expert. There was just something off about this entire match, but it was not Hanabi's place to care. Instead, she was trying to think of a way to close the distance between them, so that she could end this mockery of a match.

"You're improving," Tenten said happily.

"Thank you," Hanabi said, her tone polite. She might have said more, but her eyes caught the hint of movement, which was the only reason she could avoid the sudden attack of an apparently-discarded weapon. Flipping away from the weapon, Hanabi stared at the older Kunoichi, mildly surprised.

All of those attacks had been just a distraction for that. Impressive, she had truly earned her reputation as a weapons expert.

Tenten, however, seeing that her attack was now known, apparently used the chakra string attached to the weapon to reel it back to her hand. "Ahah, you Hyūga sure are hard to fight."

"You're skill is impressive," Hanabi allowed, slipping once more into her fighting stance. She needed to get in close so that she could attack the chakra pathways, but Tenten was not stupid enough to allow that. It was the one draw back to the Hyūga fighting style; however, it was made worse for Hanabi, since she was short for her age.

"Don't get distracted, Hanabi-chan," Tenten suddenly said, and Hanabi refocused on her, watching as she whipped a kyoketsu shogei through the air. Moving back to avoid the knife, Hanabi traced her eyes along the cord to the ring with which Tenten was directing the weapon.

This was new, or it was to her. She vaguely remembered Neji mentioning this weapon before; there was a trick to it...

Dodging and ducking, but always moving away, she studied the weapon and the user until it clicked home. She knew the flaw, and when the weapon lashed out for another attack, Hanabi ducked, darting in while Tenten desperately tried to recoil the weapon and drive her back. Hanabi stopped, dodging to the side as the weapon traveled through the space she had occupied a moment before.

The girl dropped, swinging a foot out to sweep Tenten off her feet. She nimbly avoided that, but the weapon was now wrapped tightly around her arm, the knife grasped in her hand. Rising, Hanabi lunged, then ducked under the older girl's counter swing, which was all Hanabi needed. One glancing blow to the ribs to disorient, another to the back of the shoulder to position the girl's body and then a palm against the chin.

Tenten hit the ground with a soft cry of pain, signaling the end of the match.

Breathing heavily, Hanabi allowed her Byakugan to fade, turning her mind to the fight itself, while Tenten got back to her feet. Over all, Hanabi was pleased with her fight, but there were key points that she felt disgusted with, and she promised to work on fixing those.

"Good match," Tenten said, massaging her shoulder. "I thought I had you with that kyoketsu shogei...guess Neji told you the trick huh?"

"No," Hanabi said, checking herself over to ensure presentably. "He mentioned it, but he never explained how it worked."

"Oh."

Finished, Hanabi looked up, offering a polite bow. "Thank you for sparring with me today, Tenten-san. It was very helpful."

"Aaah, no problem," Tenten said, smiling back. "I'm just glad that whatever happened between me and Neji didn't make you think of me differently."

Hanabi tilted her head slightly, as if she was lecturing. "Feelings are irrelevant; all that matters is that you are quite talented and can help me to develop. As I am sure Neji-san explained a few months ago when he asked you to begin sparring with me."

"Yeah," Tenten agreed, her tone disquieted. "Uhh, so...how is he?"

"Fine," Hanabi said, reaching up to arrange her hair. "He has never been more focused, nor as serious. Whatever has happened between you seems to have helped him."

"Oh, good!" Tenten snipped, eyes narrowing. "I'm so glad that I helped him and that Ino's able to get him to focus. I would so hate to be a distraction to the great Hyūga Neji and Yamanaka Ino."

"Yamanaka Ino?" Hanabi said, idly deciding to reveal the truth. "I thought he told you. So sorry, but upon our return from the pilgrimage, Neji-san ended his relationship with her."

"He..." Tenten said distantly, paling.

"Ended their relationship," Hanabi concluded, making sure to keep her tone polite as always. "Please excuse me, Tenten-san, are you unwell?"

"No, yes...I mean...I think so..." Tenten managed weakly.

"Ah. Well, if there is nothing wrong, I should return home." Hanabi said and then, offering a polite bow, turned and walked away, leaving the older girl just standing in the training field. Still, as she walked, Hanabi wondered why had she bothered to reveal such information.

After all, Neji was performing his Clan duties more efficiently now, he was the picture of Hyūga efficiency. Yet, Hanabi could remember the small part of her that had been outraged when she over heard Neji telling Hinata about Tenten's decision. The only explanation at the time had been that she could not stand the slight against the Clan.

Now, however, Hanabi knew the truth. She had been outraged because she cared. For some inexplicable, insane reason, Hanabi cared about Neji's feelings when all that should matter was how he was performing his duties. Yet, it did matter. It mattered quite a lot to her, and she could only think of one reason that she would care.

Uzumaki Naruto and his pity.

He cared, and the glimpse he had given her into his childhood had made her care.

She cursed the name Naruto...

...but she still cared.

"Damn him," Hanabi muttered sourly.

* * *

****

Hanabi

* * *

Lazing in the hot water, with stream drifting lazily through the air, Sakura closed her eyes, the various aches and pains that littered her body fading. Kami, she didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Even with her own ability to heal, her body was slowly wearing itself down. In some ways, it was like she was beginning her training under Tsunade all over again, though, in others, it was completely different.

Most importantly, however, Sakura could feel the difference. She was getting better, her control almost instantaneous, her strength almost legendary. If Kakashi-sensei was to be believed, she was rapidly approaching Elite Jōnin level.

Groaning, she allowed her head to slip completely under the surface of the hot water, until she surfaced with her pink hair plastered back against her head and the sides of her face. Laying her head back, she allowed her mind to roam, a fear of the fast approaching final deadline to retrieve Sasuke creeping its way into her consciousness.

It remained there, malevolently goading her, until she remembered that this time she would not be alone. This time, she would have Naruto with her, she would have one of her dearest friends with her. Together, they would bring the rogue Uchiha back; she could feel that with every fiber of her being.

This time, together, they would not fail.

Drifting thoughts guided her toward Naruto and her amazement at how much he had both changed and remained the same. He was the Naruto she had known for so long, and he was a Naruto she had never expected could exist, and her mind sleepily allowed that if things had worked out differently they would be dating.

Absently, she heard the door the to bath open, and she stirred enough to peek at her companion. At first, all she could make out was a 'mature' figure bound tightly in a pink towel. Then, as the steam wafted away, Sakura discovered that the woman in question was none other than Hinata.

"Hinata?" Sakura said softly, sitting up to stare at the girl. The other girl almost jumped at that, as if she had been caught doing something she was ashamed off. "Are you okay?"

"Anou... I'm... I'm fine," Hinata said while she settled her nerves, shifting her weight nervously. "I...I thought this bath was empty..."

"Just me," Sakura said stretching absently, only now realizing how close to sleep she had drifted. "Ahah, that feels great..."

"Uhm, maybe I should come back..." Hinata mumbled uneasily.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked, staring at the other girl curiously. "If you need to take a bath, you should. It's just us girls."

Hinata blushed, fidgeting slightly before she sighed and quietly approached the bath. Discarding her towel, Hinata nimbly climbed in, almost self-consciously wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hey, uh...It's okay, you know. I'm not like...Anko..." Sakura said uneasily, aware of how the girl was acting.

Hinata's face turned bright red at that. "Anou...I know, I just..." Looking away, Hinata continued uncomfortably. "I'm just not comfortable with... other people seeing me."

Sakura blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then she blinked again.

Not comfortable? Sakura was by no means underdeveloped, but compared to Hinata she was still a stick figure. "Hinata, you do realize that most girls would kill to have your curves right?"

"Anou," Hinata managed blushing brighter than ever. "I...Sakura-san, I'm no different than the other Hyūga women..."

"No different..." Sakura muttered, eyes widening. Then, involuntarily, she remembered the last time she had seen Hanabi. This time it was Sakura's turn to blush, wondering if Hinata meant that Hyūga women developed like her. Geez, that had to be the true Hyūga bloodline.

A semi-uncomfortable silence filled the bath, forcing Sakura to find something to say. "So... You don't normally use the public baths?"

"Anou...no, but I have a d-date later, and it would take too much time to use the baths at home," Hinata said, seeming to relax slightly.

"Oh?" Sakura managed, grinning slightly. "Does Naruto know you're back yet? He's been worrying himself sick since you left for your mission."

"R-really?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, then fell silent, staring at the water before speaking again. "Listen, Hinata, you need to take care of him okay? He's a great guy, but he needs someone to... to keep him grounded, neh?"

"I know," Hinata mumbled in response. "Anou, Sakura-san i-if something ever happened..."

Sakura looked up to meet the other girl's gaze. Staring into those oddly blank, yet expressive eyes, the pink-haired medic saw all the emotions and words that Hinata couldn't bring herself to say. It was a moment in which Sakura realized just how much Hinata cared for the blond, just how much she understood everything that had to be left unsaid between them.

"I promise, Hinata."

"Thank you," Hinata mumbled and then both fell into an uneasy silence with only the quiet dripping of water.

* * *

****

Sakura

* * *

Picking at her food almost absently, Hinata watched the way Naruto was enthusiastically devouring the meal she had prepared. It made her feel special to know that she could make him so happy with something so simple. Being on this picnic with him made her happy to, because they were alone in a secret place that he had never shared with anyone else. It was almost dream-like in its perfection.

Still, she couldn't forget that she didn't really have him. Hinata could never really have him because she knew in her heart of hearts that he was still attached to Sakura. Still, she had as much of him as she could, happy that he was giving her this much. Yet, somehow, that failed to comfort her completely.

"Oi, something wrong?" Naruto suddenly asked, and, when Hinata saw him, she saw the look on his face. It was that piercing look he sometimes gave her when she was getting doubtful about things.

"Anou, not really...I was just thinking," Hinata said politely, praying that he would allow this to pass.

"Ahuh," Naruto said, not buying it. "You know, you don't have a good poker face."

"I just-" Hinata paused, shifting slightly. "I spoke with Sakura-san today."

"Oh?" Naruto said, setting his food aside to stretch. "She's getting a bit depressing, ain't she? I mean...I know were running outta time to get that prick back, but this time we'll do it together."

"Together," Hinata mumbled, watching him. Naruto seemed to have noticed her tone of voice because he gave her an odd look.

"Oi, now _you're_ getting depressing," Naruto said seriously, sitting forward. "What is it? Are you having second thoughts about..." Naruto stopped, the space between his eyebrows creasing in concern.

Even though he didn't say it, Hinata knew what he was thinking. "No," Hinata said firmly. "I-I could never... You are precious to me..."

Naruto grinned slightly, reaching out to poke her nose fondly. "Good 'cause, Usagi-hime...You're very precious to me, too." Then his eyes drifted to the packages she had sitting next to her before looking back. "So, what do I gotta do to find out whatâ€™s in there? Cause I'm honestly not above kissing the daylights out of you if I have to."

Hinata blushed, fingers almost trembling. He had asked her once, when they had first seen each other and she had asked him to wait until after the picnic. Looking briefly at the food, she decided he had waited, though he seemed almost to vibrate with energy now. Staring at him, she was _very_ tempted to make him see his offer through.

Then, the part of her that rationalized that they were not in the privacy of his house or a more secluded spot kicked in, and she blushed, reaching over to pick up the packages and hand them to him. "Anou, they're to celebrate you becoming a Chūnin."

"Thanks!" Naruto said happily. Unwrapping the first one and finding a new forehead protector, he beamed at her so brightly that Hinata almost kissed him, which was something she left in his hands. He initiated the kisses and hugs, she merely advanced them.

Putting it on, he turned his attention back to the second package and quickly began unwrapping it. Hinata bit her lip, anxious now that it was finally time for him to see her present. Would he like it? What if he didn't and accepted it out of some sense of obligation? She watched as he finally paused and looked up at her curiously before looking back down at the orange and black jacket in his lap.

"Uh, I appreciate the thought, Hinata-chan but I already have this jack-" Naruto blinked, however, as he lifted the jacket. "Hey! This is different!"

"Anou...You, uhm, you complained on the trip back, about the green flak jackets that some chunin wear..." Hinata said anxiously, absently fiddling with her fingers.

"Well yeah, but I don't have to wear one, so...?"

"I just thought, uhmm, that you would like it." Hinata said, looking at him uncertainly. "I-if you don't want it..."

"Huh? I never said that!" Naruto said happily as he took his old jacket off, handing it to her, while he put the new one on. "So, uhmm why is it heavier than the other one?"

"Anou, Tenrai-san said that, since it was so important to me, that he made sure it was beyond anything he had ever made before." Hinata said happily, holding the old one tightly. "He used Ryuhada and, uh, he added a few extra scroll pouches on the inside."

"Ryuhada?"

"Yes, uhm, Tenrai-san said that it was the same type of armor that the ANBU use." Hinata said, shifting slightly. "He, uh, said that he designed your jacket to...allow full movement and maximum protection."

Naruto blinked, looking at the jacket, he was now wearing and then looked back at her, his face surprisingly soft. "Thanks," the blond said and then leaned forward on impulse and kissed her. It was one of those deep kisses that he often started and then, to her surprise, he deepened it even more before breaking contact to stare at her almost starry-eyed.

Hinata couldn't even form a coherent sentence, instead just sort of staring at him, memorizing his face and loosing herself in a daydream. After several long minutes, Naruto finally seemed to come out of his stupor long enough to hop to his feet and start testing the new jacket out.

Pausing, he looked back at her, a grin of appreciation on his face. Hinata smiled back, lifting his old jacket slightly in a hug. Absently, she noted his scent; ramen, oranges, potting soil and sweat. It was an oddly comforting scent.

"Hey, I never did ask too much, but how'd your mission go?" Naruto said suddenly, crouching down once more to stare at her. "I mean, I know you guys were all successful, but, like, how'd you do on it?"

"Anou," Hinata finally said, her smile fading slightly. "I...well I managed to perform as I needed to."

"I sense a but coming," Naruto said seriously, quirking an eyebrow.

Blushing slightly at how his choice of words sounded, Hinata nodded, not quite meeting his gaze. "I wish I could do better, I still...I am still not...I see Sakura-san and Ino-san, and I want to...to be as strong as they are."

"Oi, that's simple. You just grab your Sensei and get her to train you," Naruto said, nodding slightly. "I did that with Ero-sennin, and look how strong I am. Oi, I'd learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu first, though. It's really effective. It even helped me complete the Rasengan. Sort of."

"Anou, but I thought..." Hinata said, blinking. "Didn't you say the Yondaime created that?"

"Yeah, but it's not complete. He wanted to add nature manipulation -I think that's what Kakashi-sensei called it- anyway, I've almost got it, about halfway I guess." Naruto shrugged, a slight frown on his face. "I have to use two different clones, but still...It's a damn powerful move."

Hinata nodded, almost amazed at what he was telling her then sighed softly. "I-I wish I could be half as strong as you are."

"Oi, wishing ain't gonna get it done," Naruto suddenly said, grabbing her hand and yanking her upright along with him. "You've gotta train till you can't train anymore! Starting now."

"Anou, but, uh..." Hinata blinked, staring at him almost shyly. "Kurenai-sensei isn't, uhm, around..."

"Well, I'll train ya, then!" Naruto said brightly. "We'll start with the Kage Bunshin, then we'll try a few jutsu, and I'll have to get those papers Kakashi-sensei had me use, and we'll see what kind of affinity you have..."

"Anou, Naruto-kun... I'm not sure if I can..." Hinata stammered, staring at Naruto with a certain amount of uncertainty.

"Awww, come on!" Naruto grinned at her as only he could. "Just try it!"

Hinata bit her lip, then, because she could never say no to Naruto, nodded. "All right...I'll try."

Naruto grinned a little more. "Promise?"

Hinata nodded, wishing he hadn't asked that. She wasn't sure how her father would react if he found out, nor any of the others, but years of his treatment allowed her to imagine it. Still, she had promised, and if she promised something, then she would do it. It was her -their- ninja way.

"Great!" Naruto shouted excitedly. Then, much to her amazement, he changed from the energetic blond that she had grown so used to and into the serious shinobi that she had seen always training. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is B-ranked, and it creates real bodies. That means they have chakra and can use jutsu."

"Neji-neesan said that it's impossible to tell which one is the real body," Hinata offered softly, wondering why she felt like she was in the presence of her father or one of the other Hyūga teachers.

"It is," Naruto admitted, then scowled slightly. "That bastard Sasuke claims the Sharingan can tell the difference..."

Hinata paused, then nodded, knowing just how powerful the Sharingan could be if properly harnessed.

"Now, then, to make a Kage Bunshin, you make this seal," Naruto said lifting his fingers into a strange seal. "After that, you sorta have to twist and wiggle your chakra to make the real body."

Twist and wiggle? Hinata blinked, not grasping what he was telling her. He seemed to read her expression and chuckled apologetically, but his eyes never lost their intensity. "Well, it's like...you take your chakra, and you expel it and then force it to take a form. Ya know, basically the same way that you do with the normal Bunshin onl-"

"Anou...Naruto-kun, I can't...I wasn't allowed to learn the Bunshin or much of anything else taught in the Academy." Hinata paused, her voice turning hesitant. "It was, Outou-san and the Elders believed that it was pointless, even for me to learn such things..."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, startled and scratched the back of his head. "Then how'd you graduate?"

"It was, uhmm, because I was still officially the heir, the Academy couldn't fail me. I was too politically important." Hinata paused, uneasy now, before looking away from him. "I-I did everything else they asked of us... but my clan is very strict about what I can learn."

Naruto was silent for several long minutes, and for a minute Hinata worried she had upset him. When he spoke, however, she was surprised to hear the note of excitement. "So, I'll get to train you in everything?!"

"Anou...Everything?" Hinata asked, startled, looking back at him, surprised at the joy on his face.

"Yeah yeah!" Naruto lifted his hands, nodding. "First, I'll teach you the Bunshin and then the Kage Bunshin!"

"Anou... I don't..." Hinata offered, then, remembering her promise, turned serious. "I will try, Naruto-kun." Naruto nodded, as well, and started to explain how he preformed the normal Bunshin, which Hinata distinctly remembered as being done differently than how he preformed it.

Hinata, however, pushed that aside and, when he demonstrated, she activated her Byakugan to study how he molded his chakra and performed the move. When it was dispelled, Hinata remained quiet, then considered his words and how he had performed the technique.

Hinata still wasn't entirely sure that she could actually do this, she but give it her best shot anyway.

Bringing her hands together, she clenched her eyes shut and began molding her chakra, which made her quickly understand that Naruto was not kidding about how difficult creating a simple Bunshin could be. It was almost like her chakra was just building to an explosive point and then...The pressure was gone, and she cautiously opened her eyes.

To find Naruto staring slack-jawed at something on her left.

Hinata turned to see what exactly had his attention and stopped breathing, the blood draining from her face. There, for all the world to see, was indeed a Bunshin of herself... completely nude. Hinata wobbled, which caused her illusion to disappear.

This time, however, Hinata was beaten to the faint by Naruto, who had blood trickling from his nose and was twitching oddly.

* * *

****

Hinata

* * *

Tapping her fingers in rhythmic impatience against her large desk, she stared almost sightlessly at the two ninja before her. Glancing at the simplistic clock on her office wall, she frowned, wondering where Naruto was. The messenger should have found him by now. Was he intentionally being late like Kakashi? And, if so, could she afford to kill him?

Turning to Sakura, who was looking as sour as she felt, Tsunade sighed, reaching up to rub at her temple. "Sakura-chan, go see if you can-"

"Hey, hey! You wanted to see me, Baa-chan?" Naruto said as the door to her office banged open.

Tsunade studied him for a moment, noting the slight swagger in his steps and the way he carried himself with almost unbelievable confidence. He really was growing up. "Yes. I did. An hour ago," Tsunade rapped out, fixing him with a piercing glare that made him blink in surprise. "Care to explain why you kept us waiting?"

"Ahhahhah," the blond said, scratching the back of his head. "The messenger said he had a hard time finding me... Oi, plus he walked in on my date with Hinata-chan!" At this he frowned slightly.

"...I'll make sure to cover his medical bill.," Tsunade said blandly, noting in her peripheral vision the look on Sakura's face at the mention of a date. Filling that away, she shifted her attention back to Naruto. "Now that you are all here, I can finally discuss what I wanted to... an hour ago."

Naruto grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Of course"

"Yosh, how may we, the brightest flames of youth, be of service?" Lee asked, suddenly bounding up from the one-fingered push-ups with which he had been passing the time.

Tsunade stared at the spandex-clad boy, unnerved for a moment by those shockingly thick eyebrows, then, making a mental note to have yet _another _talk with Gai, continued on with the meeting. "I summoned you here because I finally have the first A-ranked mission for Team Naruto."

"Oi, what about the Jōnin Exam, and the time limit is running out..." Naruto said darkly.

"He is correct! They are getting closer, and we must be prepared." Lee nodded in agreement, then flashed a smile that 'pinged' at her.

"Will you two please give it a rest and let Tsunade-sishiou finish!" Sakura snapped, which seemed to wilt both boys.

"Thank you, Sakura." the slug Sannin said, her tone clipped, knowing that Sakura wanted to protest just as much as either of them. "As I was saying, I have an A-ranked mission for your team, and, believe it or not, this mission is part of the Jōnin exam. Which, may I remind you, dictates whether or not you are even allowed to participate in the final retrieval attempt."

"We may not seem like it, Hokage-sama, but we are ready.," Sakura said seriously. Tsunade started to smile in pride at the look on Sakura's face, at least until Naruto added his two cents.

"Yeah, ya old hag, bring it on!"

"Ooooh, you not should to speak to the Hokage like that!" Lee said in her defense, shaking a fist at the blond who was now rubbing at a spot Sakura had slapped.

"Ahem," Tsunade said, biting back her own amused grin. "This mission has a high priority, vital to the village's continued ability to function."

"What exactly do you need us to do?" Naruto asked, finally turning serious.

Tsunade watched him, pleased to see that he was finally taking this seriously. Kami, maybe he really was ready for this sort of responsibility. "Several years ago, Team Kakashi escorted a princess, named Fujikaze Yukie-" She paused at the slight gasp from Sakura and Naruto, then continued. "-to her home. After nearly three years of negotiating, she has agreed to share some of Yuki no Kuni's technology. It was shipped to the small island nation of Nami no Kuni, where a man named Tazuna-san-"

"Tazuna?!" Naruto interrupted in surprise.

"The Land of Waves?" Sakura added in equal surprise.

"Yes," Tsunade confirmed in irritation at being interrupted yet again. "As I was saying, it was shipped to Nami no Kuni where Tazuna-san arranged for it to be held until we could send a team. We did so, but they are overdue, and it is feared that they have been ambushed and the technology stolen."

"What was it, exactly?" Lee asked, holding a notepad in his hand.

"A Chakra Controlling Device. The council wanted it in hopes of controlling dangerous nin prisoners," Tsunade explained, holding out a scroll to Naruto. "This has all the necessary information. Your exact mission is this: locate Team 25, which consists of Ebisu, Udon, Moegei and Konohamaru-"

"You sent them?" Naruto said sharply, his body language signaling the shift of alertness.

"The original mission was only rated C, and they are preparing for the Chūnin exam," Tsunade said just as sharply before continuing. "Locate Team 25, ensure that they are alive, then secure the device and escort them all back to the village."

"Hokage-sama, a tracker would be-"

"You don't have time to locate one," Tsunade said shrugging. "Besides, part of this test is to attempt the mission with what you have on hand."

"Yes," Sakura said, a small crease between her eyebrows as she thought about something.

"So, do you accept the mission?"

"YOSH! For the future flames of youth!" Lee said enthusiastically, giving her yet another nice guy pose.

"Don't worry, Baachan, we're gonna kick ass, take names and have ramen!" Naruto said with a cocky grin as he put the mission scroll into his orange and black jacket.

"I'll keep these two out of trouble, I promise," Sakura said politely, but with some humor in her tone.

"Very well," Tsunade said, giving each of them a confident look. "Dismissed!" Seconds later, she was left alone in her office, and Tsunade leaned back in her seat.

* * *

AN:

Incase your curious, here's a small sampling of what exactly Konohamaru suffered, though I have a lot more Prank Jutsu that you'll probably never get to see:

****

Name: Mahoushoujo no Jutsu, literally _magical girl technique  
_**Type:** C-rank supplemental, all ranges

Perhaps the most infamous of the prank techniques (though far from the most perverted), this simple variation on the third-person transformation technique gives the target the appearance of a magical girl at her absolute frilliest. Without, of course, changing the physical appearance of the target's body. Jiraiya still hasn't forgiven Naruto for the time he used the technique on Kakashi

--

****

Name: Ookii Tori no Jutsu, literally _"Big Bird Technique"  
_**Type:** D-rank, supplemental

Basically turns someone into a giant yellow bird via summoning orange paint, permanent glue, yellow feathers and a strap on beak. Requires minor seal work so that all items are applied directly on the target when they are summoned.

--

****

Name: Shikima no Jutsu (AKA Horny no Jutsu)  
**Type:** C-rank, supplemental

A highly inappropriately named technique, done so with the purpose of distracting the target of the true purpose behind this technique. Horny no Jutsu creates actual horns or antlers on the target and is a mildly advanced henge, requiring that the caster be the one to remove the technique, all other attempts only make the technique worse.


	6. Chapter 5: Overture: Start

**Naruto:**  
_Edge of Tomorrow_  
Chapter 5  
_-Hi no Kuni  
Overture: Start-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

Tsunade watched with a casual interest as the nurses and interns hustled and bustled through the halls. She returned their greetings politely enough, but was mostly lost in her own little world, taken there by the anti-septic cleaning fluid that filled the hospital air and the distant sound the various machines. Mostly she thought about her time working as a Med-nin, the births and the deaths.

The families she had seen ripped apart or put back together, because she had either failed or succeeded in cheating the Shinigami.

Shaking the memories off she sighed and glanced at her ANBU escorts with a slight smirk. "This should be interesting..."

"Yes Hokage-sama," the Tiger mask responded. "I saw his report, there has to be more to the story than 'I was surprised attacked'."

Tsunade nodded, slowing as she saw Shizune who was talking to two nurses. "This the room?"

"Yes," Shizune said as the two nurses scurried away.

"Well, lady and gentlemen, lets see what our dear messenger has to say for himself." Tsunade said, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she opened the door and entered followed by her entourage. Pausing she tilted her head, staring at the man laying on his stomach.

Motioning for the three to stay behind she continued on by herself, selecting a chair from near the wall and then walking to where she could sit next to his head. "Shitei-san, how are you feeling?"

"Hokage-sama?"

"I'd like to talk to you about your report."

"Why?" Shitei asked, sounding slightly anxious. "I was just surprised attacked."

"Yes," Tsunade said with a nod. "I would like more details however, since I personally see no reason for you to still be in here. Since your doctors keep citing patient-doctor confidentiality...well, you understand my interest."

"Hokage-sama," he said, almost pleading. "I-i'd rather not talk about-"

"Well I would," Tsuande said interupting him. "and since I'm the Hokage I think we will be talking about what exactly happened."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shitei said with a sigh. "As per your orders I attempted to locate Uzumaki-san to inform him you wished to see him. I found him on a date with Hyuga-san and deciding to surprise him, snuck up."

"...Wait, so you snuck up on a ninja that's been trained by a Sannin and is working toward the Jonin exams. While he was on a date?"

"Yes," Shitei said in annoyance. "I realize my mistake now Hokage-sama."

"Of course you do," Tsunade said with a mockingly sympthetic nod. "What exactly did he do?"

"He reacted...with tea leaves."

"...Tea leaves?" Tsunade deadpanned.

"Tea leaves." Shitei confirmed.

"How exactly did he use these leaves?"

"I don't know, somehow he managed to use them like projectiles...and they were very sharp."

"I see, and after...that attack?"

"He-he shouted something about a jutsu and slapped me with eggs and...erm..." Shitei said trailing off to a mumble as he looked down.

"...Eggs..ok and after that he did what?"

"A pickle..." Shitei said sourly. "He hit me with a pickle. I don't know how he did it, but he made it solid as a rock. Then he-" Shitei stopped and then gulped. "he...Thousand Years of Pain...with it."

"...He...pickle...Thousand Years..." Tsunade managed before breaking into a fit of laguther, along with the others.

"Don't laugh!" Shitei whined. "The prickle broke off inside me! H-he violated me!"

Tsunade fell out of her seat laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes.

* * *

**Tsunade**

* * *

Moving quickly from branch to branch, the only sign of their passage being that of creaking branches, Naruto couldn't help but grin. Finally, his team on an actual mission, which was a step toward Jonin. Which meant they could move just that much closer to the final attemtp at regaining Sasuke.

Glancing at Sakura he saw the determined look on her face, knowing without words that this was very important to her. No matter how close they were, no matter how much she matured, unless she saw Sasuke again she'd never be whole. Turning away he frowned and knew that he was in someway the same.

"Yosh, Naruto what exactly will we do once we discover Team Twenty-Five?" Lee asked, breaking formation briefly to join his side, as did Sakura.

"Well, er...depends on the situation I guess," Naruto admitted after a moments thought, glancing at Sakura who merely offered her silent support. Great, lot of help from that side. "I mean, we don't know what's goin on or anything. Just that Konohamaru and them are overdue."

"Well we can safely assume that they either ran into a team of enemy ninja mostly likely Sound, or the shipment of the Chakra Device was delayed." Sakura said "Considering the luck you have, and by proxy your prodgey Konohamaru, they ran into a team of Sound ninja...after the shipment had been delayed."

"Hey! My luck isn't that bad," Naruto protested pouting slightly at Sakura who merely stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ooh, but it I don't understand why would a team of Sound ninja be so far south?" Lee asked oblvious to the childish antics of his team mates

"Because of the device," Sakura explained "Orochimaru must have some spies in Konoha, or at least within the Fire Country, and the Chakra Device would be something he'd be interested in acquiring."

"So, this 'Chakra Device' what exactly does it do?" Lee asked, glancing at her.

"It restrains a person's chakra, or I think forcible surpresses Chakra." Sakura paused looking at Naruto for confimration.

"Something like that, the stupd thing sucks your chakra out and iunno, some how makes it impossible to take it off. Shocks the hell out of you if you try to mold chakra at all." Naruto explained sourly, remembering his experince with the device.

"Right," Sakura said with a small nod "Kakashi-sensei also explained it takes an abnormally large amount of Chakra to over come it."

"Yosh, then I can understand why Konoha would want it," Lee said with a nod "and that such an enemy as the despicable Orochimaru as well."

"Personally I'd love to see it smashed," Naruto muttered, the ingrained paranoia of Jiriaya allowing him too easily imagine a village in which ninja could be controlled through fear. It would be a loss of freedom and what little morality in some missions existed.

"True" Sakura said in agreement "it'd be very easy to abuse."

"Yosh, I doubt that would happen. The Hokage would never allow it, nor would the Village Council." Lee said firmly.

"Lee, right now in Konoha we can refuse mission's under certian circumstances. Maybe we feel its wrong, maybe we don't see a reason why this person or that person has to be killed. We as ninja have a right to refuse it." Sakura said glancing at the boy.

"But with this," Naruto continued, shaking his head. "A device like this could seriously be used to force us to act against our will. Suddenly its not 'do this mission unless you have a good reason' its 'do this mission or you'll have your chakra taken away'."

"Ah, that is a good reason not to use the device," Lee admitted with a small nod. "However, it's pro's are equally valid..."

"Well, doesn't matter," Naruto said, motioning them back into formation "our mission, which we accepted, is to bring both Team Twenty-Five and the device back to Konoha. So that's what we'll do."

"Yosh, spoken like a truly bright and loyal flame of youth," Lee said brightly.

Naruto blinked, but otherwise didn't react. It was sorta like being around Kakashi, after a while you just got used to the crazy. Which made Naruto wonder if that meant he was becoming equally as crazy.

"We still haven't decided what our plan will be." Sakura said, keeping her tone even.

"Er, well I guess if they're fighting we'll help out." Naruto said scratching his cheek. "Sakura-chan, I guess the first priority is to make sure that any one hurt is treated. Me and Lee can handle the fighting..."

"So, in other words, I get to play nurse while you two get to have all the fun?" Sakura deadpanned with a huff. "Great, just great..."

"Hey, it's your fault for being such an awesome medic!" Naruto protested, before jerking slightly. "Oi, either of you hear something just now?"

"No, I-" Sakura started, then nodded. "Yeah, I hear it now."

"Yosh, it is definately the sound of fighting." Lee agreed, without being asked.

Naruto nodded, then created a series of Kage Bunshin and sent them out. This way they would't just go rushin in blind, apparently Sakura got the idea because she smirked at him. A moment later the Kage Bunshin disappeared and he jolted slightly before frowning.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"We have a problem," Naruto said pointing straight ahead "Udon and Moegi are over there fighting a Sound ninja, but Ebisu and Konohamaru aren't there."

"Then where are they?"

"I don't know, my Kage Bunshin looked around but couldn't find either of them...but they did pick up on the sound of a fight over that way." Naruto said, nodding slightly to the east of the first area he had pointed at.

"So, what do we do?"

"We go kick ass," Naruto said in amusement, hurrying off.

"Typical," Sakura sighed as she and Lee sped after him. "punch first, stratgey later."

* * *

**Team Naruto**

* * *

Speeding his way through the trees in silence, Lee glanced briefly at the direction Naruto and Sakura had just sped off. It had been decided after another Kage Busnhin had scouted the other fight that they needed to divide their focus. Lee was left with the Udon and Mogei fight, while the fight invovling a seriously wounded Konohamaru was dealt with both Sakura and Naruto.

Which was an honestly sound stargety, but Lee felt mild annoyance. He had hoped to have a few minutes with Sakura, the beautiful goddess that she was. It would have given him another chance to prove his worth to her, to speak and find out more about her.

Sadly that was denied him, but there would be other chances he was sure. Clenching a fist tightly he grinned in determination, he nodded to himself. A moment later he came to a halt on the edge of the fight and despite his intial instict of jumping in, he instead crouched down and scouted the fight below.

Udon and Mogei were battered looking, they likely had a few broken bones, but they were holding the Oto ninja at bay. They honestly weren't doing that badly, solid teamwork and balanced attacks. However, they were both outmatched in terms of power and killer instinct.

It soon becaome obvious that Udon and Moegi were stalling while the Oto nin was going for the kill, which meant he would have to act soon. Which was fine, he had only waited this long to get a better feel for his opponet and to let the other two get some experince in fighting something similar to what they'd face in the Chunin exams.

As both genin went down in an attempt at dodging a jutsu Lee moved, intercepting the incoming taijutsu attack. Pushing the leg away, causing the nin to stumble, Lee frowned slightly. That had actually been stronger than he expected, but still it wasn't as if Gai-sense or Sakura-chan had been throwing it.

Shrugging it off he turned to the two obviously surprised genin, giving a thumbs up with a 'ping' of a smile.

"What the... Who, what, are you?" The Oto nin asked, starteled.

"Rock Lee, Chunin of Konoha," Lee announced, turning back to face the Oto nin with an intent gaze. "Yosh! Surrender now, becuase your fight is with me!â€ﾝ Lee proclaimed, fist held upright, erect with intensity that was almost visible.

"I don't think so, you freak." Came the sneering response from the enemy, followed by a charge and a roundkick aimed for Lee's face. Lee however caught that kick, fired off his own inner crescent kick and sent the charging Oto nin crashing to the ground before bouncing into a tree.

"Please stay down." Lee said seriously.

"F-fuck you, Konoha bastard!" the man shouted unsteadily climbing to feet, before producing an oddly designed three bladed kunai and charging once more.

The man was fast, Lee would give him that. Lee however was faster, much faster, thus it was childs play for him to duck the lunge at the last instant and retaliate with a fist to the man's rib. As the man jerked from the blow Lee reached up to grab the arm and applied pressure, sending the man sailing into yet another tree.

Pausing, Lee frowned in confusion at the ease of the fight before shurgging it off and turning back to the two panting Genin. "Yosh, are you ok?"

"Y-yeah," Udon said trying to push his cockeyed glasses into the proper position.

"Moegi-chan?" Lee asked, kneeling to study the girl intently.

"I'm fine..." the girl panted, looking at Udon nerverously before looking back at Lee. "D-did you hear what we said...b-before you...?"

Lee paused, wondering what the girl was rambling on about for a moment and then started smiling. "Yosh! Of course," Moegi and Udon had the decency to blush, and Lee gave them both a kneeling nice guy pose. "Two such bright flames should of course date!"

"Uhmm...well, c-could you not say anything?" Moegi stammered shifting as if uneasy about something. "Espcially to...Konohamaru-kun?"

"Huh, but he should know. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that-"

"No," Udon said tiredly, shaking his head. "Konohamaru would not be happy to hear this."

Lee blinked, then getting an idea of what the boy meant by that frowned. "You are asking me to keep a secert?"

"Yes,"

"Please," Moegi added, anxiously bitting her lip.

Lee opened his mouth to explain, in detail like Gai-sensei would, about why keeping such secerts was not a wise thing to do and that thus he could not possible agree to keep quiet on something so important as this matter of heart. Sadly, before he could even get the first word out he was interrupted by his opponet.

"H-Hey, you think this is over? I am not some stupid brat you can just kick around!"

Turning Lee blinked as he watched the man pull himself back to his feet, clutching his kunai tightly. It seemed this was not a person that would willingly stop attacking and if the fight continued, the man would die. While Lee could and would defend the two genin with lethal force if neccessary, Lee was by no means anxious to do so. "Please stop. If you continue to attack I will be forced to stop you."

"LETS SEE YOU DO IT!" Kanaria shouted, throwing his odd kunai with shocking speed.

Lee ducked, then grabbing the two genin jumped just as the kunai exploded. He could actually feel his body vibrate from that blast and his ears were ringing. Skidding to a halt he released Udon and Moegi and glanced at the blast zone only to find that nothing looked as if an exploding note had went off.

Concussion Note? Lee mused in surprise and then looked back at his oppoent just in time to avoid a right cross, catch it and apply the pressure to spin the man around and slam him face first into a nearby tree. Releasing his hold Lee did a double jump away, slipping into his fighting stance once more.

"I refuse to be beaten by a boy in a stupid bowl cut!" Kanaria shouted as he turned, nose and mouth bleeding, and began to form seals for a jutsu.

It seemed there was no other choice, it looked as if he would have to either take away someone's ability to be a ninja or kill him. Lee hated either option but he could not bear the responsibilty of robbing someone of their ability to be a ninja. Surprisingly that realization took only a fraction of an instant of the first hand seal, but then after sparring Naruto for the last month, this man's ninjutsu work was nothing.

Pushing off in a blur of dirt and fallen leaves, Lee darted forward just as the man was reaching the middle of his jutsu and slammed a round kick to the man's stomach. This was followed by a jump spinning heel kick to the man's chest which sent him stumbling away.

Lee however was far from finished and when he landed, he used the momentum from his attack to continue. Ducking under a wild left hook, he decimated the man's ribs with punches. Reeling more than ever the man tried to regain his balance but Lee caught his arm and yanked him forward once more, using the so far untested in battle one-inch punch.

The result was a sicking crunch as Lee's fist connected with the man's chest, followed by a spray of blood as the man's feet left the ground and he went sailing backwards to smash against one last tree where he slumped in silence. Lee felt his arm tremble, then relaxed as he slid into a more comfortable stance.

Gai-sensei's advice about wanting to use the punch during training echoing in his mind, he realized that it was truly not a blow to use on an ally.

* * *

**Lee**

* * *

Naruto was used to moving at high speed, though trying to use the basic tracking skills Kakashi had taught them so many years ago while moving at such speed was a new experince. Sighing he glanced at his current travelling companion, Sakura, then turned his attention back to the forest.

"Ok, is there a reason why you're looking at me every three minutes?" Sakura suddenly asked, sounding more curious than annoyed.

"Huh?" Naruto managed looking at her briefly. "I was just...you've changed a lot since we were together on the last mission."

"I have?" Sakura managed, a small smile forming. "Well you have too, so I guess its only fair."

Naruto grinned slightly, then shifted directions with Sakura following. "So, so! I've really changed Sakura-chan?"

"Well yeah," Sakura admitted smiling "I'm not sure what it is...but your really maturing now, getting stronger."

"Ahaha," Naruto managed flushing slightly, amazement that Sakura was saying such things filling his mind. Then he remembered what they were doing at the moment and frowned, a knot of worry forming in his stomach. "Oi, how much stronger has Konohamaru gotten? I mean I haven't gotten to spend much time with him...outside of pranking his sorry ass."

"Well Konohamaru-kun has gotten pretty strong. I guess he's Chunin level, but I haven't kept up with him in all honesty. Tsunade-sashiou is a very strict teacher after all."

"Oh," Naruto managed, the worry over the brown haired boy lessening somewhat. "Hmm, if Ero-Sennin and Baachan are anything to go by...I'm almost afraid of what that Snake Bastard is like when he's teaching."

"The key word is _almost_." Sakura added, an almost vicious grin on her face.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, wincing, realzing not for the first time that Sakura had a vicious streak. Any further conversation was cut off by the sound of a loud voice shouting about not giving up and being the 'Nanadaime'. "Oi, that's Konohamaru."

"Let's go." Sakura said picking up speed.

"Just give it up!" An angry voice shouted, followed by the sound of a loud explosion. "Finally! Stupid Konoha brat."

Naruto, eyes narrowing, suddenly put on a burst of speed and came hurtling out of the trees just as the Oto nin was pulling back for a kick to the downed Konohamaru. A moment later the man was sent flying as Naruto's fist smashed into his cheek. Landing in a slide Naruto righted himself, studying the heap that he had just hit. Turning his attention away for the moment he saw Sakura, with a disapproving look on her face, leap from the trees down into a crouching postion besides a crumpled Konohamaru.

"Oi, see, my plan works."

"Whatever," Sakura muttered her hands glowing as she ran a dignostic scan on the unmoving Genin.

Snorting Naruto turned his attention briefly back to the Oto nin who was shaikly climbing to his feet and eyeing him in surprise. "Another Konoha ninja? You're like a bunch of roaches."

Ignoring the man's statement Naruto turned slightly looking at Sakura, while jerking a thumb in the man's direction. "Oi, so how bad do I need to kick this guys ass?"

"Hmm," Sakura frowned, eyebrows knitted together in thought. "Fractured ribs, possible concussion, a broken shoulder, minor flesh wound and his left hand is broken."

Naruto growled, turning his attention back to the man in front of him. "You're gonna wish you had never heard of Konoha."

"I don't think so, you idiot." Came the sneering response.

"Oi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage." Naruto said, his eyes never leaving the Oto nin, preparing to rain unholy vengence down upon the man.

"I don't care who you guys are, but you're not getting out of this alive."

"Naruto, don't waste time arguing with him," Sakura interjected, not looking up from her task at hand. "You should try to find Ebisu-san, I can handle things here."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, glancing at her and then at the scowling Oto ninja, his every instinct craving to attack.

"Yes, Konohamaru-kun shoulnd't be moved just yet." Sakura said. "Besides Ebisu-san may be fighting the real threat, so he'll need some backup."

Naruto grumbled, it was against his nature to just pass up a fight. Still she had a point and a good leader, Naruto had learned from Jiriaya and Kakashi, listened to others. "Oi, you be careful ok Sakura-chan?"

"You too," Sakura said, flashing a smile at him. "I'd hate to have to heal you so I could slap you for worrying me."

"You think I'm actually going to let you go?" the Oto nin in question said in disbelief. "You're even stupider than you loo-" Before he could finish that sentence, he was forced to dodge to the left as a hail of kuani from Naruto came within inches of skewering him.

"Hey, watch what you say you prick," Naruto snapped, "we're not the ones working for a pedophillic snake."

"Naruto," Sakura said in mild exasperation.

"Right, I'm gone." The blond said, creating a Kage Bunshin for her and then concentrating performed a Shunshin begining his search for the missing Ebisu.

* * *

**Naruto**

* * *

Haruno Sakura was a very talented medical ninja, Tsunade had confided once that there were maybe three others with her level of skill in the world. Sakura had seen all manner of injuries and what various jutsu, espically sound, could do to the human body. Yet as she rushed to stablize the genin in her care, she was feeling like a stupid beginer.

The shoulder had been easily fixed, the fractured ribs set, the hand was set as well. It was the flesh wound, just barely a cut really, that was driving her crazy. It was nothing life threatening for a medical ninja of her calibur, but no matter how many times she healed it, it didn't get any better.

She was expending almost to much chakra, but she had no other choice. Still no matter how distracted she was, Sakura had not forgotten about the Oto-nin who had just finished with the shadow clone and was now charging for her. Sparing a glance at him, she frowned and caught the punch absently.

With a flex of her strength, Sakura tossed him aside, but the Oto-nin recovered easily enough and Sakura felt her impatience growing. She was literally holding Konohamaru's life in her hands and she did not have time to waste, preforming a series of tricky single handed seals she launched a specailized aural genjutsu.

"Jisho no Jutsu!"

A second later Sakura felt a moment of lightheadedness before shaking it off and finding the nin slumped to the ground, clutching their head and muttering at what they were experincing. Sakura grinned, making a note to tell Kurenai that she had been right about her medical lexicon making the technique all the more devestating.

Chuckling Sakura turned back to Konohamaru, her humor evaporating. At the moment she couldn't heal it, she had no real idea what it was, but she could slow the bleeding down. Applying the appropriate oinments to the bandage, Sakura quickly and expertly sealed the wound off and then scooping him hurrying back toward where Lee should have been.

It wasn't long however, until Sakrua began to grumble to herself while Inner Sakura ranted about becoming a glorfied pack mule. Honestly, had she gained all of this strength and skill just to haul unconcious brats around while Naruto got to goof around?

Sakura just wasn't cut out for this second string stuff, she wanted to fight damn it! Shaking her thoughts aside, the pink haired girl focused instead on the boy she was carrying on her back. Sakura was very thankful that she had sent Naruto off when she had, the last thing she had needed was an out of control Naruto.

As long as he kept control he was fine, but Naruto had always been a tad emotional and despite his amazing growth and maturity he still lost control too easily at times. Their training matches were an example of this, there were times when he would get so frustrated or angry that his eyes would start turning red or his whiskers would darken.

He always caught himself before it could go further but it was still there and it could have jepordized Konohamaru.

Sighing Sakura shook her head, easing her shoulders as best she could, blessing Tsunade for all of the intenstive training she had received as a supplement to the team training.

"Unh..."

Sakura almost lost her footing at that, turning her head slightly to stare at the boy on her back. His eyes were parted slightly, his mouth working slightly but he didn't seem concious. Still it was impressive that he was already recovered enough to approach conciousness.

"...Ebisu..."

Sakura blinked, surprised once more but then nodded slightly. "Konohamaru-kun, don't talk..."

"I..." the boy said faintly, and she felt something that had to be a tear fall on her shoulder. "I'm sorry..." This was followed by even more silent tears. Sakura wisely choose to keep silent and before too long she could hear his even breathing, signalling that he was sleeping once more.

For some reason Sakura got the feeling that when or if they found Ebisu it would not be pleasent, considering that what little she knew of Konohamaru, she was almost certain of that fact. Konohamaru was a lot like Naruto, for good or ill, and neither one was prone to tears if they merely messed up on a mission.

Sakura suddenly felt an uneasy weight settle into her stomach, as an ill-knowledge filled her mind. How had it happened? She couldn't suggest a theory, but if that 'I'm sorry' was an idication this boy thought it was his fault. Then she remembered the oddness of the wound, was that a left over from the attack that had killed Ebisu?

Could it have been an attack meant for Konohamaru and Ebisu had just gotten in the way?

"Probably," Sakura muttered, unable to think of another way such underpowered ninja as these Oto nin's could have killed an elite Jonin. Shoving it aside she focused on her trip and soon enough reached the clearing where she had left Lee and the others.

Pausing long enough to survey the scene she breathed a sigh of relief and leaped down in silence, making sure not to jarr Konohamaru.

"Sakura-chan!" Lee said brightly hurrying toward her, "Yosh, I am glad that you're safe."

"I'm glad your ok too," Sakura said happily handing over the unconcious boy to the green clad ninja, while heading for the two alert looking Genin. "Moegi-chan, Udon-kun are you two ok?"

"Yes," Moegi said anxiously glancing at Udon who sniffled and pushed his glasses up from the tip of his nose. "Uhmm, how's Konohamaru-kun doing?"

"He's fine," Sakura lied as all medics normally did in such matters.

"Of course, for not only are you a beautiful and delecate blossom, but also a fellow bright flame of youth!" Lee enthused and then smiled up at her. "Where is Naurto-san?"

"He's searching for Ebisu-san," Sakura said her tone growing serious.

"Ah," Lee said in understanding before crouching. "Should we also begin looking for Ebisu-san?"

"Not just yet," Sakura said turning back to the two Genin. "Moegi-chan, Udon-kun what exactly happened?"

"It was a normal mission," Moegi said, shifting awkwardly "we got the device after a slight delay. Everyone wanted to know all about you and Naruto, so we couldn't just leave."

"Then once we were on the way back, we were ambushed and the device was destrored in the intial attack when Ebisu-sensei attempted to save Konohamaru from the leader of the Oto nin's." Udon finished, pushing his glanced up his nose once more.

"And what happened to him?"

"We're not sure." Moegi said, her tone strained with worry. "Ebisu-sensei shouted for us to retreat right before he was hit and Konohamaru's been acting as rear guard..."

Sakura frowned, glancing at an equally serious Lee, then back at the two genin. "In the ambush did they use sound?"

"Yes, one of them was wearing a gauntlet of some sort and he seemed to be giving the orders." Udon said.

Turning back to Lee, Sakura nodded at the slumped nin that he had fought. "Did he use a sound weapon?"

"No," Lee said, scowling. "Though I think he attempted a Sound based jutsu."

"Oh no," Sakura managed taking several steps back in the direction that Naruto was in and then turned back to them. This was not good, only certain Oto ninja used sound weapons and usually they actually deserved the rank of Jonin and on occasion they had other nasty surprises.

"Lee, take them back to Konoha I'll go tell Naruto that we may have a problem-"

"Yosh, Konohamaru-kun may require further attention." Lee interupted, his face set.

"Of course," Sakura said coming back to herself, remembering why she had come back here to them in the first place. "I need you to look for some flowers with green and red dots, they should be in this area. Take Moegi and Udon with you."

"I see," Lee said seriously, nodding as if picking up on her urgency.

"Right," Sakura said and then looking at the two Genin almost snapped orders for them to get moving while she concentrated on Konohamaru. Silently she swore that after she saved Konohamaru she would kill whoever, most likely Kabuto, had come up with a jutsu that could cause a wound to reopen repeatedly.

* * *

**Sakura**

* * *

Naruto hurled himself from the trees crossing his arms to allow the hail of weapons to bounce off the sleeves of his Ryuhada enhanced jacket. As the last weapon was deflected -and he promised silently to kiss Hinata for twenty minutes for the gift- Naruto planted a kick to the Oto nins head.

Flipping in the air, while the ninja he'd hit smashed into the ground, Naruto spun with a skid.

He'd found the man twenty minutes ago, following a trail to the others. To make matters worse it hadn't taken the Oto nin long to claim responsibility for the death of Ebisu. After an intital skirmish the nin had preformed some weird sound attack and then fled, with a pissed off Naruto hot on his trail.

A few more brief encounters confirmed that the man really could have killed Ebisu, but it also confirmed that Naruto was a lot stronger. Hence, why the Oto ninja kept using his sound jutsu again so he could flee. Seeing the man regain his feet yet again, Naruto charged forward before he could use his sound attack.

Side-stepping to the right the Soon-To-Be-Hokage defelcted a front kick and caught the leg as it fully extended. Stepping forward, he swept the Oto nin's other leg and drove him into the ground with a dull thump. A minute later Naruto was swept from his feet by the enemy ninja who regained his footing and took off once more.

Rolling smoothly back up from the fall, the pay off from having sparred with Lee, Naruto took off after the man. This was getting frustating to say the least and Naruto drew a kunai and taking aim, took out the man's leg. The ninja collapsed, then stumbling regained his feet.

Naruto closed the gap quickly enough, and the oto nin tried to slug him in the stomach. Naruto however grabbed his arm then swung him around, slamming him into a nearby tree. Reeling the oto ninja threw a left hook, but Naurto caught the wrist and brough his knee up into the arm, which was followed by a sharp crack.

Throwing the oto ninja to the ground, Naruto pivoted and then stalked toward the struggling ninja. A swift foot to the back sent him smashing back to the ground, followed by a punch to the face. "Ok, so now I'm gonna ask nicely...where's Ebisu?"

"F-fuck you,"

"Wrong answer," Naruto said driving a punch into the man's stomach "now where is he?"

"I-I'll kill you!"

"Huh?" What was that?" Naruto mocked, driving his fist into the man's groin, which elecited the most pain filled scream to date. "Sorry, couldn't hear you over the screaming."

After giving the nin enough time to block out the pain, as all nin could do if they were any good, he turned serious. "Oi, so you ready to talk? Cause I'm not all that interested in kicking a man when he's down..."

"H-his body" the oto nin said, eyes glinting maliciously "is going to rot in this forest and your Hokage is going to be the Otokage's bitch." Then before Naruto could retaliate, the man snapped his mouth shut and it didn't take a genuis to realize the man had just killed himself.

"Fuck!" Naruto shouted, glaring at the man before getting up and ran a hand through his hair. Great, just great, he had to find Ebisu's body without help. Snorting he created a hundred Kage Bunshin and sent them off to search the area, then glaring at the man felt a strong urge to kick the prone form.

Instead he rumaged through the man's clothes, he found some money and a few weapons. No chakra device, or scrolls, nothing of any real help. Well wasn't that just great, he had no Ebisu, the Chakra contorlling Device or a prisoner. Just a dead body and a few ryou.

Sitting back on his haunches, Naruto grumbled under his breath. Then feeling one of his Kage Bunshin report back to him he stood, smirking darkly at the dead body. "Looks like your wrong about both Ebisu and Baa-chan."

* * *

**Naruto**

* * *

The forest was a blur to him, flashes of green and brown, the faint scent of animals and fresh rain. Eye's hightened by his families technique, picked out minor details that others would be unable to see. Ears twitching at the distant sound of voices, Kiba glanced at his travelling campion a large white dog.

"Oi, that sounds like Sakura doesn't it boy."

"Arf!"

Nodding, Kiba turned back and angling toward the noise sped up. A moment later he came bursting through the trees and to a skidding stop near a group of people. Three Genin, Lee and Sakura, but no Naruto. Shaking it off he instead focused on the startled group, while catching his breath.

"Kiba-san?" Lee said anxiously moving toward him.

"Lee," Kiba nodded, glancing at Sakura who was busy pouring something down the unconcious genin's throat. "Sakura, is he ok?"

"Yeah, just a nasty jutsu," Sakura growled, then glanced at him. "Is there some reason your here? Did Tsunade-Shishiou send you as backup?"

"Huh, nah...er, well sorta, but not for you guys." Kiba said, scratching the back of his head. "See, there was an attack by some group called Ataktsuki on a Fire Temple, they were searching for something but Hokage-sama wouldn't tell us what."

"Atatsuki!?" Sakura exclaimed, leaping up and even Lee stiffened.

"Yeah, anyway, she ordered a group of special ninja she had created, NijÅ« ShÅﾍtai, to go out and kill any of these guys they found."

"And?"

"Well, they found two of them...Asuma, Shikamaru and some others. Anyway, long story short these guys killed Asuma then retreated."

"Oh no," Sakura said, hand covering her mouth, eyes wide. "We'll come back-"

She was cut off a minute later by a blur of orange and black that came to a stop in the middle of the clearing. Naruto blinked, looking around and then spotting him scratched his head. "Oi, I know we might be taking awhile but did Baa-chan really have to send you?"

"I'm not here for that," Kiba snapped, glaring at the boy.

"Oi, they why are you here?" Naruto snapped back.

"Kiba, tell him what you just told us." Sakura said, cutting the argument off.

Sighing, Kiba crossed his arms and nodded. A minute later he had repeated his explnation, with the same interuption about coming back, to which he shook his head. "That's not the problem, Shikamaru, Ino and Choji, have went AWOL to try and avenge his death."

"That's insane!" Sakura said heatedly. "They don't know what they're getting into!"

"Which is why Kakashi was sent after them, along with my team since we're the best trackers." Kiba bragged "which is also why I'm here. We're trackers, we can fight, but Kakashi laid out what exactly we'd be facing if the worst should happen and we'd have to engage the enemy."

"So you're looking for backup," Sakura said.

"Well yeah, I'm not crazy about facing a pair of S-ranked ninja that are seemingly immortal. So while Hinata and Kakashi are still tracking Shikamaru and them, me, Akamaru and Shino would try to find others to act as backup."

"Oi, so do we know these Atatsuki's names?" Naruto demanded as he paced restlessly near a tree.

"Hiden and...Kuzu or something..."

"Kakuzu," Naruto growled.

"Uh? You know him?" Sakura asked, looking at him intently.

"Yeah, I met him in Waterfall." Naruto grumbled, before looking at Kiba intently. "Take Konohamaru and his team back to Konoha, Akamaru can lead the way to-"

"Hey! I'm not on your team you don't get-" Kiba said, cutting the blond off, only to be cut off himself in return.

"Do **I** look _like_ I care?" Naruto asked with a deadly undercurrent. "Take them back to Konoha. We'll handle the Atatsuki."

For a moment Kiba hesitated, that look and tone did not belong to the Naruto he knew. It was as if, for a minute, Naruto was what he always claimed he would be. Shaking it off he snorted, glancing at the two genin. "Fine, you two with me..."

A moment later Sakura had handed Kiba the prone form of the last Genin. "Listen, make sure Tsunade see's him immedately ok? I've written everything in this scroll, she needs to see it...and this one is a morgue scroll."

Nodding Kiba turned to the other two, noting that Naurto was handing something to the boy wearing glasses. "Come on brats...and try not to die form exhaustion on me neh?"

That said he started off, the two in tow, while Akamaru led Team Naruto into a fight Kiba felt they weren't ready for.

* * *

AN:

Below are the jutsu mentioned in this chapter, they are added EXACTLY how the appear in my extensive jutsu note list. Sadly I don't know if I'll ever get to reveal _all_ of the jutsu myself or my friend, and beta, Tidlessmoo created (usually on the spur of the moment)

Oh well, enjoy:

Name: Jisho no Jutsu, literally "Dictonary Technique"  
User: Sakura, Shizune, Kurenai  
Rank: B-rank, Genjutsu

Invented by Kurenai to prove a point to Asuma about reading so much. Basically as the average University Graduate has a vocabulary of roughly 20,000 word families, Sakura and Shizune have _significantly_ more because of medical training, this aural genjutsu pulls **every** word and definition out of the mind of the user and dumps them enmass into the mind of the target.

---------------

Name: Tomago Panpan no Jutsu, literally "Egg Slap Technique"  
Type: E-rank, supplemental

A very straight forward jutsu, more of a prank actually. You merely produce an egg and hit the target.

---------------

Name: Iwa Oshinko no Jutsu, literally "Stone Pickle Technique"  
Type: E-rank, supplemental

An on the fly creation by Naruto, this is a transformation technique that basically makes a pickle solid as a rock. Among its uses are fending off kunai, slapping people and of course adding extra punishsment to the infamous 'Hidden Leaf Secret Taijutsu Supreme Technique: A Thousand Years of Death!'


	7. Chapter 6: Overture: End

**Naruto:  
**_Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 6  
_-Hi no Kuni  
Overture: End-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

"Are we still headed in the right direction?"

"Yes," Hinata managed, stumbling slightly before correcting herself.

"Are you ok?" Kakashi glanced at the girl, noting absently the veins jutting out on her face before he looked away. Despite her intent look and dangerous attitude, she was pushing herself. He was impressed with the way she was soldering through the obvious exhaustion she was feeling.

"I am fine," Hinata said her breathing heavy and sweat standing out on her forehead.

"We can go a bit slowe-" Kakashi started to offer before Hinata cut him off, in a manner reminiscent of Kurenai.

"I am a kunoichi of Konoha." Hinata said, not looking away from the path they were on. "I will be fine Kakashi-sensei."

"Of course," Kakashi said, his visible eye curving up. "I wouldn't expect any less of a woman like you." Noting the faint blush that filtered over her cheeks at that he turned his mind away from the girl and back toward what they were rushing into.

Two Akatsuki agents, one of whom seemed truly immortal. By all accounts, this 'Hidan' had survived complete decapitation without a problem. The other one, 'Kakuzu', was a total unknown figure. Other than the fact that he collected bounties there was nothing else known.

Of the two, Kakashi was sure Hidan would be the one that Shikamaru and the others would target. After all, Hidan was the one responsible for the death of Asuma after all, and that had been the reason for their leaving the village. However, blinded by grief, he feared they were overlooking Kakuzu.

Despite whatever the surviving members of Team Nine believed, Kakuzu was not going to just sit around while they killed Hidan.

"Kakashi-san, anou, I have not asked yet but...what are we going to do?"

Blinking and pulling himself out of his thoughts, Kakashi frowned slightly glancing at the girl. She raised a good point, if it was just the two of them then they didn't have much chance. Still, if he had to fight, he wanted to handle this and fast, especially since Naruto and his team could be in the general area according to Tsunade.

The last thing they needed was two apparently immortal Akatsuki agents acquiring the grand prize of demon collectors.

"Our goal isn't to fight, just to get those three out of danger." Kakashi said, glancing at the girl. "However, it's a strong possibility that we will have to engage the enemy. I'll cover the group's retreat, while you tend to any injuries and attempt to keep them from coming back to the fight."

"Won't they stop us?" Hinata said, the veins around her eyes fading as exhaustion finally forced her to stop using the Byakugan.

"I am the Copy-cat Kakashi," Kakashi said without bravado "I have several powerful jutsu, beside the Chidori, I can use to help cover your retreat. Also, if all else fails, I do have a version of the Mangekyō Sharingan and even if its' not a 'true' Mangekyō it will stop our enemies."

"Anou, but that still doesn't explain..."

"Trust me Hinata-chan, I can do tactics," Kakashi said brightly "who do you think taught Naruto to look beneath the underneath?"

When she remained silent, apparently mollified, he turned his mind to the serious matter. Now that he was thinking about it, how exactly would he keep those two Akatsuki from stop attacking the retreating group? Even with the use of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he doubted he could stop both of them.

Ideally, he would have to kill one by conventional means and then use his Mangekyō Sharingan on the other, which of course settled the targets. Hidan would have to have to be his target for the extra-dimensional world and Kakuzu would be killed.

Now how exactly he was going to achieve that was a good question, it wasn't like he could attack them head on.

Unless he used Kage Bunshin.

Slowly a plan started to take shape in his mind and he felt his eye narrow in intense thought.

* * *

**Kakashi**

* * *

Looking up from his conversation with his bugs, Shino stared at the approaching Kiba. A moment later, he noticed the unconscious boy slung over Kiba's shoulder and the two Genin trailing behind him. Raising an eyebrow he stood, hands in his pockets, preparing his bugs in case this was an enemy trick.

"Kiba," Shino said in greeting as they drew close.

"Oi, Shino." Kiba returned casually, coming to a stop looking annoyed. "I gotta get this guy to Konoha, medical emergency and crap."

"Ah," Shino inclined his head, as his bugs confirmed it was indeed Kiba. "I trust you can take the time to explain the situation?"

"Damn it, I shoulda known," Kiba complained adjusting the boy on her shoulder. "Ok, so me and Akamaru were out looking for backup like we decided and we found Naruto and them. Only, these guys were hurt...well I told them what was happening and how we needed to go help out."

"And?" Shino prompted.

"And, Naruto got all bossy right? Told me to take these guys back to Konoha and his team would go on to help Hinata and Kakashi-sensei." Kiba snorted in annoyance. "So I lent 'em Akamaru to help them track the others down..."

"That seems unwise, even with Akamaru's tracking ability you should have joined them." Shino said, uncertain. "Also, Akamaru could have carried the boy back easily enough with those two making sure he didn't fall."

"Well," Kiba hedged before sighing. "Look, it's not like I had a choice ok? Naruto sorta ordered me to-"

"He ordered you?"

"Yea," Kiba agreed sounding put out. "It was really weird; I mean normally I wouldn't listen to him. But this time he was, different, ya know? Not cocky or a goofball, like he had total authority."

"Total authority?" Shino repeated, understanding better than Kiba what he had meant. He had overheard a few people commenting on that, how he seemed unlike his normal self at times. Which didn't surprise Shino, he had seen a glimpse of that change shortly after meeting up with Naruto shortly after his return.

"For a moment it felt like I was talking to the-" Kiba said, before pausing and scowling "it's not important."

"The Hokage," Shino supplied blandly, then noticing his friends surprise nodded. "Everybody has been talking about it, least of all Hinata."

"It seems a bit strange though. I mean, I know Hinata has been saying he would be Hokage but ya know how a girlfriend is." Kiba sighed before shaking his head. "But I guess it's true. Either way I have to get these guys to Konoha, especially this guy whatever happened to him had Sakura spooked and you know how great of a medic she is."

"Indeed," Shino agreed coming to his own decision. "I'll escort you, weighed down as you are if we were to encounter any enemies I am not sure how well you could manage."

"Oi, saying something like that! Are you saying I'm weak?" Kiba snapped heatedly.

"I said nothing of the kind," Shino said turning to lead the way. "You however, did say it."

"HEY!"

* * *

Kiba

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was by no means sane in the conventional sense. Indeed only in Konoha, which produced an alarmingly high rate of insane ninja, was he considered sane and even then, he stretched the boundaries at times. Five minutes alone with the boy told _anybody_ that he was far from stable.

Yet, Sakura mused darkly as she watched him surge ahead of them; he had never reacted this way before. Every since they had started racing after Team Nine, as well as Kakashi and Hinata, he had been radiating a homicidal insanity. Case in point, he had actually threatened to slit Shikamaru's throat for putting so many people at risk.

Frighteningly enough Sakura believed he _would_ do just that.

"Sakura-chan, if we keep this pace up much longer we'll be far too tired to provide proper backup." Lee suddenly said beside her, a frown firmly in place.

The medic sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Lee was right, she was rapidly burning through her own chakra reserves to keep up with Naruto's pace, and Akamaru was panting from behind them and while Lee was nearly equal to Naruto in terms of stamina, seemed to be showing signs of fatigue.

"Quit playing aroun-" Naruto started to shout in annoyance, as he glanced back at them, only to have Sakura cut him off.

"Will you slow down!" Sakura snapped, glaring at the boy and noting his harsher whisker marks. "Setting a land speed record will get us there faster but we'd be in no condition to do much. So slow down and use this time coming up with a PLAN!"

She watched the way his features shifted, noting how disturbing it was to see his blue eyes in a state of near foxiness. She could see his jaw muscles tighten and she knew he wanted to shout and rage at her, but he mastered his anger and slowed down. In response, she and Lee eased off the speed as well and they closed ranks.

"I just...what if we're too late?" Naruto muttered glancing at her in a heartbreaking fashion. "It won't be like with Gaara and the granny. Someone dies and we won't be able to bring them back."

"I know," Sakura said. "but Hinata and the other's won't die that easily."

"These are Akatsuki," Naruto growled, eyes flashing.

"Yosh, are these 'Akatsuki' the same as the group that we fought not too long ago?" Lee asked.

"Yes," Sakura said nodding slightly. "You know that each one is S-ranked right Lee-kun?"

"Of course," Lee said seriously. "I know the three of us can handle them. However, I would like to know what exactly they were searching Fire Country for."

"Same thing they wanted in Suna," Sakura said tacitly, aware of Naruto's silence. "They'll go to any length to achieve it as well. Naruto, you've fought these two before?"

"Yeh, in Waterfall" Naruto spat. "Well at least Kakuzu..."

"What's he like?"

"Strong," Naruto muttered with a scowl. "Really strong and really old, he can remember fighting the Shodai Hokage..."

"Yosh, then we should be able to overcome him easily." Lee said.

"Not really," Naruto said with a snort. "The guys' almost immortal, I hit him with everything **I** had and he just shrugged it off."

"Even as bright flames of youth how can we defeat an immortal?"

"Aa, Lee-kun he said 'nearly' there is a difference," Sakura said with a nod. "However we can't forget about his partner. We need to create a strategy to handle both of them."

"_We _don't," Naruto said glancing at her. "I do, you two help Hinata-chan and Kakashi-sensei ok? Get them and Team nine out of there. I'll deal with Tweedledee and Tweedledumb."

"Yosh, yes you are powerful Naruto-san, but I don't think even _you_ could kill both."

"We'll see," Naruto said in annoyance. "Just do this for me ok? I don't want...."

"Check." Sakura said with a nod, knowing without words why Naruto was wanting to try and shoulder this task alone. Naruto was silent for a few minutes longer and then darted forward, his chakra surging strong enough to snap the branch he pushed off.

Sakura just sighed and picked up the pace alongside Lee.

* * *

Sakura

* * *

"Anou, we will be there in ten minutes," Hinata said, her heart beginning to pound in her ears. Straining her eyes, she swept the battle ahead to try and help Kakashi as best she could when she noticed something very disturbing. "Shikamaru-san is missing!"

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked anxiously.

"I, anou, I was scouting ahead and...I can see Ino-san and Choji-san, but Shikamaru-san is not there." Hinata explained, frowning and wishing that the knot of fear in her stomach would dissolve. Despite her improvement, Hinata knew she was nowhere near ready for a fight of this level.

"How many Akatsuki can you see?"

Hinata winced and pushed through the pain and the intensifying migraine she was developing. Her vision blurred for a moment as she pushed it to the limit, why couldn't she be as talented as Neji? He wouldn't have had a problem with this at all.

"Hinata?"

"I...anou, just one..." Hinata said, panting heavily. "I don't think I can use my Byakugan much more Kakashi-sensei."

"You're doing great," Kakashi said reassuringly reaching up to lift his forehead protector. "Just a bit more though, if you can. I need to know what Ino and Choji are doing."

"Anou, I'll try." Hinata mumbled, aware of the sweat trickling down the sides of her face. "They look like they are working together...I think-" Hinata suddenly stumbled, pain flaring through her mind. It was only because of the steadying hand of Kakashi that she didn't fall and hurt herself.

"I...I am sorry," Hinata managed, looking embarrassed.

"It's ok Hinata-chan," Kakashi said reassuring her. "You've done great so far, I know that Hyūga don't normally keep their Doujutsu active or strained for this long."

Hinata remained silent, not wishing to argue. Still she felt so pitiful, she was sure that Neji would have been a better choice than her. Hanabi would never have this problem, her sister was very strong and when compared to her Hinata felt almost inadequate as a Hyūga.

"We're almost there," Kakashi suddenly said, intruding on her thoughts. "Remember the plan, you tend to Ino and Choji and then get out of there."

"Anou, what about Shikamaru-san?"

"No this was his idea," Kakashi said with a slight shake of his head. "He wouldn't leave this fight for anything."

"But shouldn't we," Hinata said before realizing how dry her mouth was. Shaking it off she continued "we should act as his backup then."

"Normally I would agree," Kakashi said while creating a Kage Bunshin. "However, both Ino and Choji have to be at their limits by now and you've pushed yourself far too much to be safe. I really don't want to have to deal with Naruto if I let you kill yourself."

"I...I understand," Hinata mumbled and when they came out of the forest she dropped to the ground next to a battered and bruised Choji and Ino.

"Hinata-san?" Ino said in surprise.

"Yes," Hinata said, trying desperately to be the serious kunoichi that she believed herself to be. Eyes sweeping the two she winced, and then looked up at the figure they had been fighting. Her heart paused as she saw an attack already inbound; it looked nothing like a normal attack.

"We have to-" Choji started to scramble to his feet, which snapped Hinata out of her daze and she grabbed his arm yanking pulling him back down as the space between them and the attack was obscured by the green and black blur that was Kakashi.

"Raikiri!"

Hinata could feel the electricity in the air, feel the way her hair fluttered at the impact and winced at the sound of the crackling lightening. Still it was over in a moment and it was clear that Kakashi had come out as the victor, if only barely.

"What the hell?" The oddly masked enemy said in surprise, "Huh, Hatake Kakashi...you have a pretty large price on your head."

"Do I?" Kakashi said in curiosity, before exploding into a cloud of smoke.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Choji shouted in surprise, while Ino pointed at the enemy who now had a glowing hand protruding from his chest.

"He...wow, just one attack and he killed that Kakuzu guy." Ino murmured eyes wide. "We couldn't do anything against him and he just...wow."

Hinata however, focused on her task. While both Ino and Sakura had traditional medical training, Hinata had her Hyūga Healer training. Hyūga Healers focused entirely on creams and ointments, they were experts in that field and Hinata proved this as she produced her medical cream and began applying it to Choji. "Ino-san, if you can still use your medical jutsu please heal yourself and help me."

"Y-yes," the blond said snapping out of it, then concentrated on healing leg. Finished she moved to work on Choji as well, while offering Hinata a food pill. "We need to help Shikamaru-"

"No, neither of you are in any condition to help him." Hinata said firmly, noting Kakashi moving toward them. "Kakashi-sensei ca-"

Whatever Kakashi could do however, Hinata never said since a minute later he crashed into the group. Rolling free, Hinata scrambled up and froze seeing the dead Akatsuki agent on his feet once more. A jolt of fear raced up her spine, that was impossible, but there were four black forms bearing a different mask surrounding him.

"Kakashi-sensei how is he still...?" Ino asked hesitantly.

"I'm not sure," Kakashi said struggling to a crouch. "However, he managed to survive it's not natural. See those monster's that are coming out of his back?"

"Yes,"

"I think...they're all alive and each one feeds back into him." Kakashi said shaking his head. "Basically he's got five hearts, or four now."

"You impress me," Kakuzu said with a slight tilt of his head. "You're also correct; they all contain hearts of Shinobi I've killed. I'll have to stock up and you should do nicely."

Hinata felt her eyes widen, watching as one of the monster suddenly shot forward, the mask's mouth gaping open. Whatever the attack was, there was no way she could survive it. Then someone roughly tackled her to the ground, while she was buffeted by a powerful blast of wind.

As the attack passed, Hinata pushed herself free of a dazed Ino and looked around. Choji looked hurt worse than ever and Kakashi, who had apparently countered the attack, swayed before collapsing to his knees. Galvanized into action Hinata darted toward, before skidding to a halt as another attack rushed toward her.

Turning her eyes widen as instead of some strange jutsu, there were several black tendrils shooting toward her. Time seemed to slow and for one brief moment, she prayed that Naruto would somehow show up like in a dream and save her. Then reality caught up and she realized that she had only one way to survive.

"Hinata, move!" Kakashi shouted, struggling his way back to his feet.

Hinata however pressed her lips together and gathering her courage, with the knowledge that she could do no less than try, began to move her arms while activating her Byakugan and expelling her chakra. Up, left, right, down, across, up, down, right, left, faster and faster and faster. Thicker, stronger, more flexible!

"Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

A second later the black tendrils crashed into her jutsu, trying desperately to pierce through while Hinata struggled to keep going. Stronger, stronger, faster, faster, more chakra! She couldn't stop, she couldn't let up for an instant, there went one tendril and then another and another.

It seemed to go on for hours, her arms growing more fatigued with each passing second, struggling to stay focused. Then finally, unexpectedly the remaining tendrils retreated and she collapsed to her knees, clutching at the earth, panting and wishing more than anything that she could just pass out.

"Hmm, you're another unique one," Kazku said in a horrible tone. "A Hyūga? What's left of Lightening would pay handsomely to get your body I'm sure, or at least your eyes."

Fear, then anger, clutching at her heart, Hinata looked up at that evil looking monster. She saw the four monsters shifting in anticipation and she knew, without a doubt, there was no way she could stop this man, no way she could win. Despite that she slowly, painfully, fought her way upright. If was going to die, then she would so fighting, proving that she was a ninja.

Forcing her Doujutsu back into activity she braced herself, watching and waiting. A tendril suddenly whipped toward her face but a Jyuken struck it down, nimble footwork moved her out of the path of others. Another Jyuken strike and she was safe, another and another, unending it seemed until she was next to a tiring Kakashi.

"Looks like we'll have to fight him," Kakashi said as he slashed through a tendril wrapped around his waist.

"Y-yes," Hinata panted, batting another aside, aware of the building pain in her body. Darting away, she carried her own fight, trying to buy the other two time to retreat. Still her eyes saw everything; Kakashi fighting a losing battle, the mysterious man leering at her, Ino determinedly working on an unconscious Choji.

For some reason...

for her friends...

for Naruto...

for herself...

Hyūga Hinata, kunoichi of Konoha, fought all that much harder.

* * *

Hinata

* * *

Lee was not very observant when it came to certain things, not that he was alone in that. Still, he did notice things and what he was noticing worried him. Sakura's face was set into an odd mixture of worry, determination and sadness. He couldn't quite figure out why those emotions were at war within the medic, but he could guess.

Glancing at their captain, the orange and black clad Naruto, Lee felt a stab of jealousy. This boy was the reason for those emotions; Lee knew it though he was not entirely clear why he knew. That was the reason he was jealous, because Naruto could make Sakura _feel_, whereas Lee could not.

Shaking it off he noticed that the large white canine that they had been following had come to an abrupt stop, followed by Naruto. Coming to a stop as well, Lee glanced at the animal that was looking in two different directions and growling.

"Oi, what's the matter?" Naruto asked, looking in both directions and then at Akamaru.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked, then in a remarkable imitation of a human, used his paw to point in both directions. "Arf, Arf!"

Lee blinked and glanced at Sakura who shrugged.

"So the two went in different directions?" Naruto asked, squatting beside Akamaru who was nodding. "Who's where?"

"Arf, arrf, aarf!!" Akamaru barked, giving Naruto what passed as an expectant glance.

"What'd he say?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Iunno, I can't actually understand him. I'm just reading body language here!" Naruto admitted before pointing to the left. "Is Hinata-chan over there?"

Akamaru shook his head.

"Choji?"

Another shake.

"Ino?"

Another shake.

"Shikamaru?"

"Arf!" Akamaru barked, accompanied by a confirming nod.

Lee glanced in that direction, then back at the other knowing that the team would have to divide now, which would prove dangerous. True, Lee had never fought a true Akatsuki but he did understand their strength and the last time they had divided like this he'd nearly died. Most frighteningly though, was the similarities this situation was bearing to an event two and a half years previous.

"Oi, Lee I want you and Akamaru to head that way," Naruto said, turning to look at him while gesturing to the left. "Help Shikamaru if you can, or need to, but get his ass out of there."

"Naruto, if Shikamaru is over there, he might have a plan." Sakura said, trying to reason with him. "If we try to help, it might disrupt whatever he's doing."

"Sakura-chan, I honestly _don't care_ what he's got going on." Naruto said curtly. "Right now, all I am concerned about is saving my friends from getting killed over revenge."

"Well, what about the others?" Sakura said gesturing expansively to the right. "That's a lot of area to cover without some sort of tracker."

"Don't worry," Naruto said reassuringly with a dark look. "I'm no tracker, but now that were this close I can feel a lot of chakra being thrown around over there."

"I don't feel anything, Naruto are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Naruto almost growled. "Trust me."

"Of course, you are not only a bright flame of youth and my most joyous rival, but also the next Hokage!" Lee said to raise the mood, while flashing a smile. "It is unsurprising that you could do such a thing."

"Thanks, I think."

"Naruto," Sakura started to say, looking torn about something.

Naruto however, turned away fixing his gaze in the opposite direction of where Lee would be heading. "If she dies...Akatsuki finds out what a demon is really like." Naruto said in a tone that reminded Lee of boulders rubbing together, then without warning the blond took off.

"I am beginning to fear for these agents, Naruto-san seems very unstable at the moment." Lee said glancing at Sakura. "He must care for Hinata-chan a great deal."

"He does," Sakura confirmed, her tone holding an emotion that struck a nerve in Lee. "He does a great deal..."

Lee paused, considering that.

Sighing he turned away to face the direction he had to go. "You love him," At her noise of protest, he continued without looking back at her. "He is your friend and comrade. I think it is impossible to know someone for so long and not to have feelings for them. That is why Sakura-chan,"

Turning he gave her his best Nice Guy Pose! "I will protect you with my life. For the beautiful Cherry Blossom and her love of the unstoppable maelstrom the Lotus will bloom as often as it needs to."

"...Lee-kun."

Lee was moving however, already racing toward his fight and ignoring the pain in his heart the knowledge he had just gained.

* * *

Lee

* * *

Kakashi could feel the burning in his lungs, the ache of his muscles as they were forced to continuously move. This fight was taking a lot of him and it was all too just hold on. The worst part was that Ino was not leaving, nor was Choji, both were on the sidelines exhausted.

Damn it, things weren't going right. They needed to end this fight, but this Kakuzu was impossible to fight. Any jutsu Kakashi used, the man repelled by turning his flesh to steel. To get close enough for taijutsu you had to fight through a horrendous mass of black tendrils and avoid those masks.

So focused on his own fight, Kakashi almost didn't hear the noise of Hinata being struck. Looking up he felt his stomach drop, the girl was standing there, a tendril extending through her chest and out her back. Kami, he shouldn't have- then suddenly 'Hinata' exploded into a cloud of smoke.

...Kage...Bunshin...

Even Kakuzu looked stunned at that, until Hinata was at his side raining blow after vicious blow against him. The girl was fighting at a level that he couldn't have imagined. She danced and weaved, driving the man back, her chakra lace blows doing far too much damage for the man to survive much longer.

Still Kakashi fought toward her, knowing that she was expended too much chakra. She was exhausted, beyond exhausted and she was pushing herself too much. At this rate, she would kill herself; still it had been Kakuzu's mistake to let her in so close.

He had toyed with her too much, had forgotten that a Hyūga was at their most dangerous when in close combat.

Then suddenly the tendrils became erratic, abandoned him and whipped back toward Hinata. Kakashi couldn't help but stop and watch as Hinata swerved out of the path of an attack, piercing his guard with a timed palm heel to his chest. Even from here, Kakashi knew under normal circumstances that would be the end.

They're had been enough chakra in that blow to kill anyone else.

Kakuzu was of course nearly immortal, and had transformed his skin to metal, and even with all the previous strikes, one blow would not kill him. Hinata stumbled, wavered, then recovered and dodging the increasingly wild attacks of those tendrils, shoved enough chakra into his system to turn any heart into ash.

Kakashi watched in awe as the girl worked, dodging each of Kakuzu's attacks and countering with brutal efficiency. Then it dawned on him, this was not Hinata's normal variation of the Jyuken, it was Neji's. The biggest difference was that Hianta's gentle nature, but there was nothing gentle inside her now.

This was one of those rare flashes of brilliance, which Kurenai had mentioned before.

Kakashi was stunned, almost so stunned that he missed it, her crowning achievement. Ducking a punch, Hinata spun drawing her hands together and to her side. Then coming around she thrust them, palms out, at the man's chest.

"Hakke Kuushou!"

The result was impressive, causing the man to jack knife with a spray of blood from his mouth. Kakashi knew from Neji that move was meant as a long range attack, used so close the blow would have no time to weaken. It had to have destroyed at least one heart. To hammer home the point, a mask cracked and then shattered.

Kakuzu had lost yet another heart.

Realizing the truth, Kakashi moved quickly and reached Hinata just as she collapsed from extreme over-exhaustion. Her skin was ashen, her lips nearly blue. Kami, she was frighteningly close to death as it was, she really had used too much chakra to be safe.

Still she had proven she was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Ino shouted, rushing to his side, with Choji in her wake. "I'll take care of-"

"Not now!" Kakashi shouted, feeling the shifting of chakra and looking in the direction of Kakuzu as two masses of black tendrils exploded up and rushed toward them. Handing Hinata quickly to Ino, Kakashi quickly flashed through a series of seals.

"Doton: Toku!"

With a quick rumble, the earth spat forth a massive wall of earth, against which the tendril slammed hard enough to shatter. Still had stalled the attack long enough for Kakashi to convert the wall into an attack, the Earth wall crumbled then blasted forward like a lance piercing the man's chest.

"Nice!" Ino shouted, covering her face.

Kakashi however, could feel the drain of so many high level jutsu. Turning to tell Ino to get out of there he froze, feeling the buildup of chakra. Shoving both girls away, he tried to regain his feet. A second later, the body of Kakuzu convulsed and then exploded once more with those tendrils into a grotesque shape.

Kakashi felt a pain lance through his shoulder and hit the ground hard. Sitting up weakly, hand pulling a tendril from his shoulder, Kakashi watched as the Akatsuki regained his feet. Kakuzu's arms and torso were held together only by those strange tendrils. More telling however, was the man's eyes, which looked slightly crazed, completing the monstrous look he now wore.

"I've never gone through three hearts in one fight..."

"Watch out!" Kakashi shouted a split second after he sensed the hidden tendrils, but it was too late they were already wrapped around his limbs holding him in place. It was too late, he could tell without even looking, he could hear Ino struggling.

There was no one left.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Choji suddenly shouted, and a second later, a massive fist slammed into the Akatsuki agent freeing them.

Kakashi quickly scrambled to his feet and collected Hinata, only to turn at the sound of Choji screaming. Kakuzu was on his feet once more, his tendrils depositing a now wounded Choji near them. Looking up, Kakashi met the man's gaze and knew this really was the end unless a miracle happened.

"Now...die..." Kakuzu grinned almost manically as two of his masks withered their way out from the black mass of tendrils protruding from his back. Kakashi noted futilely that he was combining wind and fire, to which he had no ready counter unless he used his Mangekyou Sharingan. He couldn't though; using this close would kill his team mates, making it a pyrrhic victory at best.

He should have been better, should have taken more than just Hinata as his backup!

"Fuuton: RASENGAN!" A new voice shouted and Kakashi felt a sense of deja vu as the jutsu that had been hurtling at him slammed into what could only be Naruto's.

The explosion was intense, ripping the tendrils binding them to shreds and gouging out a section of earth. Several of the surrounding trees were now aflame, but most importantly everyone was alive, and Uzumaki Naruto and his team were standing between them and an unstoppable enemy.

"Hope we're not too late," Naruto said, his eyes never leaving the recovering Akatsuki agent.

"Good timing," Kakashi allowed as Ino breathed in relief.

"A hero usually shows up at the last second," Naruto remarked casually, clenching a fist. "Sakura-chan?"

"I'm on it!" the pink haired medic said, breaking formation to race to Hinata's side.

"Hehe..." Kakuzu said, his eyes focusing completely on Naruto. "Looks like you've already been beaten up...are you still wanting to fight me Naruto-san?"

Kakashi struggled to his feet, setting aside his curiosity about how these two knew each other. His body was feeling far too sore to be a good sign but he had to help Naruto. Moving to join the boy he was brought up short as Sakura, holding Hinata under one arm, restrained him. "Kakashi-sensei, we need to move..."

"Are you insane?" Ino shouted moving over to confront her friend. "We need to stay and help Naruto, this guy is seriously strong!"

"I can handle him," Naruto said and Kakashi could tell, despite seeing only his back that Naruto had that fox-like grin he wore during battle.

"Naruto!" Ino shouted before rounding on Kakashi. "We can't just leave him!"

Kakashi ignored her for the moment, studying the blond in front of him. He could tell this was a different Naruto, stronger, but was he strong enough? Kakashi frowned, remembering what he had told the boy when they had first started the Nature Manipulation training. "Naruto, you'll have to kill him three more times."

"Right." The blond said.

"Fall back," Kakashi said, then turning grabbed Ino's arm and took off toward the forest, Sakura at his side and Choji acting as a reluctant rear guard.

"This is insane," Ino shouted, stumbling but keeping up.

"Just have faith," Kakashi said seriously, reaching up to slide his forehead protector back over his eye. "If there is a ninja we can trust to get this done it's Naruto."

"But, but...he's Naruto!"

Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, bringing them to a stop just far enough away to be safe and yet still be helpful if need be. "Trust me Ino-san, I believe Naruto's the ninja that will surpass the Yondaime."

"Insane," Ino mumbled.

Kakashi instead focused on Sakura who was already working on Hinata, then turned his attention back the way they had come. Sitting down, he sighed, wishing he had his book to read, but in retrospect, maybe it was better without it. Either way he knew one thing now, one very important thing:

It was all up to Naruto.

* * *

Kakashi

* * *

Kakuzu watched in annoyance as the large bounty he could have claimed for that Kakashi and Hyūga slipped through his fingers, still he was now facing the most elusive Jinchūriki Akatsuki had ever encountered. On the up side, Rock had a decent amount on the boy's head and after they had extracted the Bijuu the body would be far game.

Still, he would have to make it a point of claiming both Hyūga and Kakashi.

"Hmm," Kakuzu finally said softly, using the threads that connected his body to restore his arms. "You've gotten a little stronger than Waterfall huh?"

"Oi, I can't believe I'm looking at your ugly ass face again." Naruto said eyes narrowed in anger. "Plus, shouldn't you be collecting the money for all those missing-nin's in Akatsuki?"

"I had forgotten how talkative you were."

Naruto in response formed a familiar seal and created a dozen clones.

"Taju Kage Bunshin?" Kakuzu asked in mild amusement, remembering their brief encounter in Waterfall a few days before Hidan had come to recruit him for Akatsuki. "Haven't you already tried this? Next you'll pull a switch and slam that Rasengan into me..."

"You haven't seen anything!" Naruto shouted as the mass of clones charged toward him.

Kakuzu snorted at the stupidity of this attack and sent several threads snaking through the air to stall the attack, unsurprisingly this worked alarmingly well. Kage Bunshin after Kage Bunshin exploded as they were ran through or crushed by the threads, creating a rather large cloud of acidic smoke.

Kakuzu however was less interested in this and more interested in the coming Rasengan. Forming the Snake Earth hand seal he activating his ability, turning his entire body to steel then braced himself. A second later, the smoke swirled and then parted, revealing a charging Naruto only instead of a Rasengan he had his arm pulled back holding a spear made of smoke.

"Kemuri Yari!" Naruto shouted thrusting the spear forward.

Kakuzu flinched ever so slightly, surprised at facing an attack that he had never seen before. Then he felt the impact and breathed in relief, despite the fact that it managed to force him backward. Righting himself he lashed out with his threads, discovering after his threads had impaled the boy's shoulders, that it had been a Kage Bunshin.

Impressive.

"Kazeryu no Jutsu!" Naruto suddenly shouted from the left and Kakuzu felt not just surprise, but worry. Turning he had just enough time to see a dragon, made of wind, hurtling at him as if it was alive. Not wanting to test his steel body against that much compacted wind, Kakuzu jumped avoiding the devastating jutsu.

He felt impressed; this was the first time in a hundred years that he had seen a wind dragon. That was a very dangerous technique.

"Fūton: Rasengan!"

Twisting in the air as best he could, he cursed as he found yet another Naruto slamming a ball of compact wind chakra into his back. It was by far the most painful thing he had felt in a long time and he lashed out without thinking, his threads making quick work of Naruto. Sadly, this was yet another Kage Bunshin, and Kakuzu realized belated that he was already slamming into the ground.

The Akatsuki agent laid there for a moment, unable to believe what had happened and aware that he had come close to losing yet another heart. Getting up quickly, his last two mask's bursting from his body as he did, he noted this boy had an unusually strong affinity for wind chakra.

"So you've mastered Nature and Form manipulation now?" Kakuzu said, eyes narrowing in anger at the apparently real Naruto who was creating even more Kage Bunshin.

"Something like that," Naruto answered as he finished creating his Kage Bunshin.

Kakuzu however was not about to let this child get the better of him yet again. Combining their bodies the last two mask's, wind and fire, each emitted their own jutsu blast from their mouth. He saw the surprise on the boy's face, as the area was consumed in the attack that left nothing in its wake. Unsurprisingly the blond had managed to avoid it and was currently rushing toward him.

Kakuzu found it almost childishly easy to use his thread and entwine the boy tightly. "You're heart is mine now!" A second later his threads were ripped apart as a burst of red chakra engulfed the boy before fading away. Staring at the blond in surprise Kakuzu realized something that was the first overt sign of the sealed Bijuu he had ever seen from Naruto.

The Nibi Jinchūriki had almost instantly jumped straight into using her demons strength, Naruto however seemed to be restraining himself. For what reason, Kakuzu didn't know, but that meant Naruto was a lot more unpredictable than he should have been. Still...

"So what now?" Kakuzu asked. "It's obvious that I'm smarter than you and it's only a matter of time until I win, that fancy 'Fūton: Rasengan' or not."

"I know," Naruto managed with a pant, creating a vast horde of Kage Bunshin, two of whom began to concentrate chakra into his hand. "It's time for stage two..."

Kakuzu blinked, watching silently and with a great amount of trepidation as he felt the chakra taking shape, into what he didn't know. All he knew was that jutsu was insanely powerful, extremely dangerous...and most definitely not something he could let hit him.

Then as the chakra finally took the shape of a Giant Chakra Shuriken, with a Rasengan at the center, the Kage Bunshin attacked.

Kakuzu was no fool; he knew that losing track of the real Naruto would mean his immediate and permanent death. Still he couldn't ignore the incoming Kage Bunshin, thus he sent out massive amounts of black thread and allowed his mask's to fire off wind and fire jutsu all around him.

Yet the entire time he laid waste to the world around him, he kept track of the real Naruto which was amazingly easily with that jutsu that had been unveiled. Yet every time he tried to snag the boy with a thread or a mask, a Kage Bunshin or three would appear and take the brunt of the attack allowing the boy to gain even more ground. It appeared this fight would boil down to whoever made the first mistake; damn he hadn't thought this child would actually be this strong.

Destroying yet another Kage Bunshin, he cursed as he was distracted. Hastily scanning the sea of yellow, black and orange Kakuzu tried to find the real Naruto. When he found what appeared to be the real one, he had a swirling mass of chakra in his hand after all, Kakuzu attacked without hesitation.

The blond jumped, his face screwed up in concentration as he kept the jutsu from dissipating and Kakuzu sensed his moment of victory. Threads twisting around and hurtling upwards, he watched as the sky borne Naruto was forced to use his jutsu to defend himself, only it wasn't the giant shuriken that he remembered seeing and he realized he had made a mistake.

It was not the real Naruto and it had never been, the Rasengan that slammed into the threads was the 'Fūton: Rasengan' and that moment of distraction was all the real Naruto needed to dart from among his army of Kage Bunshin and cover the short distance between them.

"Kaze Shuriken!" Naruto screamed, slamming the horrifying mass of chakra directly into his chest. Kakuzu tried to block, tried to move but it was impossible. He could feel his body, what felt like every cell, shredded by what felt like billions of tiny knives.

Distantly he could hear and feel his last mask's shattering.

Kakuzu's last thought as he stared into those crystal blue eyes and grime covered face was how young the would-be-Hokage actually looked.

* * *

Kakuzu

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was not a stranger to pain; it had been his constant companion for his entire life really. He had, of course, redefined his definition of pain several times over the course of his career. First with that pervert Jiraiya, then when he began his training for the ever elusive combining of nature and form manipulation.

Staring up at the darkening sky, sensing the rain that was to come, he decided to redefine pain once more. Because that last attack had felt like he had been ripped apart from the inside out. Turning his head, he looked at the outstretched hand.

Concentrating, he pushed through the pain to try to make a fist. It felt like forever, but finally he managed it and he breathed easier knowing that he hadn't destroyed his arm. Thank the Kami for small miracles, if had ruined his hand then he'd be in a bad position.

Using his good arm and hand, Naruto leveraged his way into a sitting position while unconsciously cradling his hurt arm against his stomach. Looking around he felt the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, despite the devastation of the area he felt damn good. One Akatsuki dead without aid from the blasted Kyūbi, and even better, he could term the second stage of his new Ninjutsu officially complete.

A moment later, as the first drops of rain splattered against his cheek, Naruto laughed happy to be alive. He quickly sobered however, as he remembered how this had happened. He could still see Hinata's slightly ashen face and a sense of dread filled him, what if she had died?

Then Shikamaru would too. Naruto decided curtly, which told him something important. Naruto had a very dim view on revenge, with good reason, but he was also aware that there was certain people he would seek it for. Tsunade, Iruka, Sakura...and now Hinata.

His most precious people.

"Naruto?"

Looking up, Naruto blinked his eyes to clear them of the rain and found Sakura and the others approaching once more. Kakashi was carrying Hinata carefully and Naruto struggled to his feet before he collapsed. Swearing he fought his way up once more, aided this time by the firm hand of Sakura.

"Relax Naruto, she's fine...it was touch and go for a while, but she pulled through." Sakura said and a sense of relief washed through him. Hinata was fine.

"Sakura-chan, thank-" Naruto started to say before he paused, taking in how pale she looked. Even he knew the early signs of chakra exhaustion and a jolt of alarm shot through him. "Sakura-chan!"

"I'm fine," Sakura said, flashing him a weak smile. "Just exhausted, not just from Hinata, but the others. But I'm fine, really."

"Oi, you need to sit down." Naruto said firmly trying to force her to sit.

"No really, I'm fine. You're the one that needs to be sitting down," Sakura protested, struggling to fight his instance that she sit down. In the end they both ended up collapsing, which in turn prompted them to start laughing as only friends could.

"Naruto-san? Sakura-chan?"

"Aa, Lee-kun?" Sakura said, managed through her laughter.

"Ahaha! I knew that two such bright and happy flames of youth as the beautiful cherry blossom and my newest of eternal rivals would win the day!" Lee proclaimed, happily before noticing Hinata. "Yosh, is Hinata-san-"

"She's out of the woods, but it was rough. According to Kakashi-sensei she would have been fine if it had been someone that didn't have five hearts." Sakura explained, turning serious which prompted Naruto to stand once more and approach the girl.

Reaching out he brushed a few stray strands of hair aside, taking in her lovely face and reassuring himself that she was really just unconscious. Most telling was the fact that she was no longer ashen, and Naruto allowed a finger to graze over her lips.

"Shikamaru, what about your Akatsuki agent?" Sakura asked and for the first time Naruto realized the other boy was there.

"This is troublesome," Shikamaru muttered before continuing. "Lee was a bit late..."

"Yosh, I arrived just as he defeated his opponent." Lee supplied.

"That's...really impressive," Sakura said, her tone slightly hollow.

"It was just something I had to do," Shikamaru replied, prompting Naruto to turn and stare at him. The pine-apple headed boy was smoking and he looked dirty as all hell. But what Naruto found insulting was the fact that Shikamaru looked so casual that it screamed 'no big deal'.

"So, this was something you **had** to do," Naruto said evenly, moving toward the other boy until they were face to face "you couldn't wait for backup or for the Hokage to figure out how to handle this. _You_ had to do it."

"Hey, you don't under-" Ino started to protest until Choji wisely clamped a hand over her mouth.

Shikamaru stared at him and taking a deep drag let it out. "Of course it was it was something that couldn't wait. It's a bit bothersome to-"

"Don't. You. Dare. Say. That!" Naruto shouted, cutting him off. "This is not troublesome or bothersome! You wanted revenge so badly that you dragged not only your two closet friends into this, but at least four-" at Akamaru's bark Naruto corrected himself "-five, sorry, other friends into this. OVER REVENGE!"

"This was not just about-"

"Yes, it damn well was! Whatever fuckin logical reason you might have to explain why this _wasn't_, it IS. You're a damn genius and you can't see that this is the same damn thing Sasuke did two and a half years ago!" Naruto shouted, glaring at the boy with intense loathing.

"Hey," Ino shouted, coming to a now silent Shikamaru's defense. "Are you saying you wouldn't do the same thing? That if someone important to you was killed, you wouldn't go after their killer?"

"What I'm saying," Naruto said, glaring at her, before fixing Shikamaru with another glare "is that revenge is bullshit. The fact that I _**will**_ kill anyone that hurts one of my precious people goes without saying. But its still bullshit."

Finished he turned away, and retrieving a still unconscious Hinata from Kakashi, started into the forest. "Now let's go back to the village."

* * *

**AN**:

I post these two chapters in honor of Hinata finally A) Getting real screen time and B)Telling Naruto how she feels.

Seriously, the Six tails form was all impressive and everything, but I went only went 'Fuck!' when Hinata had her page to say 'I love you.' I mean, I knew she was going to get invovled in the fight with Pain, she would get beat (and kudos, she actually had a moment of impressivness with her speech and all...now if only she had landed a hit, however glancing, that would have been nice) and Naurto would freak out because an important person of his got hurt/killed in front of him.

But having her admit her feelings, to Naruto of all people, that was surprising.

Also, I didn't include the manga explination of how each village got the Biju. Mainly because I didn't feel like re-writing this chapter for that simple little addition. As it sits, I feel the story doesn't conflict with what the manga explained for the village and their bijuu holdings.


	8. Chapter 7: Calm Before the Storm

**Naruto:  
**_Edge of Tomorrow  
_Chapter 7  
_-Calm before the Storm-  
_By Geor-sama

* * *

Tsunade stared at the motley crew before her, a thin smile on her face. The ninja arrayed before her looked tired, worn down even. Not that she could blame them since by all accounts at least three of them had fought against a nearly immortal S-ranked criminal.

The Hokage mused silently about how old Kakashi was looking, then turned her attention to her soon-to-be successor, who was looking decidedly disgruntled, and his friends. Her well trained eyes noted the various undercurrents between the teams; things were going to be strained for awhile that was for sure, espcially between Naruto and the surivivng memebrs of Team Ten.

"Well," Tsunade said lightly, downplaying the tension, while arching an eyebrow. "Excellent work everyone. I have to admit I'm impressed, you all performed far above expectations."

"Oi, of course we did." Naruto said before stretching. "So, what now Baachan?"

The Godaime sighed, leaning back in her seat, taking some pleasure in seeing Sakura bop the boy upside the head. Those two would never change and it was almost like seeing back to when she and Jiriaya were that age. Pulling herself from her memories rather quickly she smiled. "You take some well deserved time off of course, get some rest...hell, go out on a date or something."

Naruto cheered like child at that, then shared a look with Hinata who blushed. The others were already moving out of the door after a polite bow, talking about what exactly they were planning. Tsunade however cleared her throat, stopping the blond and the Hyūga heiress short. "Naruto, I need to talk to you for a minute," then shooting Hinata a discreet glance continued "alone."

"Aww, but me and Hinata-chan were going to-" Naruto started to say until the girl spoke up politely, in that ever quiet way she had.

"Anou, Naruto-kun its ok." She flashed him a pretty, though shy, smile seeing his pout. "I must see Sakura-san at the hospital anyway."

"Aright," Naruto said, sounding annoyed. "See you later though?"

"Of course." Hinata said softly as well, then quickly kissing his cheek darted out of the room.

"Ok so what ya need?" Naruto asked, turning with a curious look on his face.

"There are a few things," Tsunade admitted "for one, Kakashi told me your reaction to Shikamaru."

"What about it?" Naruto asked gruffly "he's my friend and I'm not going to let another friend make the same fucking mistake as Sasuke."

"I see," Tsuande said, slightly surprised to receive such an upfront answer. Then again, Naruto seemed to be maturing faster than she had expected lately, though she wasn't sure why. Most ninja matured quickly, it was the nature of the beast after all, but this was Naruto and she had a hard time reconciling the young man with her memories of the loud, brash kid she had met. "Well, there is also the matter of a Clan Council Meeting that is planned."

"Eh?"

"A meeting between the Clans, in which they vote on laws that dictate how they interact among each other." Tsunade explained, sighing slightly as she leaned back in her chair "as the head of the Uzumaki Clan you'll be required to attend. I would highly recommend going since this meeting will have a law that should be of interest to you...and Hinata."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"They have a law coming up, as it does every few years, but it is always tabled for later consideration." Tsunade explained "At the moment, whenever the law comes under discussion, it is tied vote. Now weither this is was why Hiashi gave you a Clan, or for another reason we have yet to see, I think you should use this moment."

"Ok," Naruto said, blinking "so wanna tell me _why_*?"

"As it stands, the Clan Law dicitates that 'No legal member to a Clan can enter or seek to enter another Clan as an adopted child or spouse; nor can they abandon the paternal house to establish an independent family of their own.'" Tsunade recited, then seeing Naruto's confusion explained it "which means Naruto, that they cannot separate from their Clans in law; but are free to live in a separate house. They must always obey the orginal Clan."

"So basically, once a Hyūga or Uchiha, always a Hyūga or a Uchiha?" Naruto asked, eyes widening before snorting "That's a load of bullshit."

"Exactly, which is why intermarriage among Clans' is unheard of. Villagers have a better chance of marrying into a Clan, as families don't have a reason to object to the law." Tsunade said, smirking privately already knowing what his reaction to the new law would be. "the new law of course, would amend that Clan Law as follows 'no Clan may seek to bar any member from entering or attempting to enter another Clan as a spouse; those seeking such things are free from interal Clan rules to attempt to establish an indpendent family.'"

"...so the new law means, what? That if you get engaged to someone else your clan can't interfere or control 'em?" Naruto asked, blinking as he showed a surprisng amount of understanding.

"That is the traditonal interptation," Tsunade agreed, grinning at him. He really was growing up and she felt an urge to embrace him in a hug, before remembering that he was a fifteen year old boy and would probably get a cheap thrill from having his face pressed into her chest, Baachan or not. "However, the way the law is worded allows for it to be interpeted that even if your dating you're free from Clan Rules."

"...So, that means..." Narujto blinked, stunned "Hinata-chan wouldn't have to worry about the Clan Elders she's always talking about?"

"Exactly."

Naruto nodded after a moment, considering that fact, but surprisingly didn't start jumping around wildly. What was there to think about, Tsunade wondered. This would free not only Hinata, but others, to date free of Clan interference.

"Oi, so is that it?" Naruto asked after a moment, but it was clear from the look on his face that he was still thinking about what he had been told.

"No, there is one more thing," Tsunade said, scowling at him "it invovles Saturobi's grandson, Konohamaru."

"He's aright right?" Naruto asked immediately, concern in his voice. "I mean, Sakura-chan had him pretty much fixed up when we sent him back."

"Physically yes, or at least he was when he was released from the hospital. Sakura did an excellent job stabilizing him and figuring out we needed to do to counter what was wrong with him. Emotionally though," Tsunade sighed. "He's lost his sensei, his uncle and according to a tearful Mogei, he woke up on her and Udon kissing."

Naruto blinked, then scowled, then looked downright upset in his own right. It was so odd seeing a ninja, who was on the edge of becoming a Jonin, showing his emotions so openly. Then again, Naruto had always been like that and he probably always would be. But it was still strange.

"Where is he?" Naruto finally asked.

"I'm not sure. He's physically fine so its not like it's a medical emergency to find him, we know he hasn't left the village. Still, I'm worried because of the emotional shock he's been through."

"Shit," Naruto muttered crossing his arms. "Aright, I'll find him."

"I know," The Godaime said, moving to sit behind her desk. "That's why I told you. After all, you're the closet thing he has to family left."

Naruto didn't say anything, just scowled and then without another word turned and walked out of the room. Tsunade watched him for a moment then sighed, turning to stare out the windows and at the village itself. Idly she wondered about what the future was bringing, it was coming faster than she had expected honestly.

Naruto was almost ready for his dream job and the others of his generation were getting close to taking over. Then she was distracted from her thoughts by the sight of a messenger bird, coming from the direction of Tsuchi no Kuni. That would be from the Tsuchikage, letting her know his arrival time.

Sighing the Hokage wished futilely that she could sneak out and get blind stinking drunk. "I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

**Tsunade**

* * *

According to many people within the village, Satroubi Konohamaru was a miniture Naruto. Weither this was a good thing, or a bad thing, depened on who you spoke with and if they had been pranked or not recently. However, the universally and errounsly agreed fact was that Konohamaru, like Naruo, remained carefree no matter what.

The truth of the matter however, was that both tended to hide behind mask's, yet at times they didn't bother. One such time for Naruto had been during the Sandaime's funeral, and for Konohmaru it was staring sightlessly at the tombstone before him, feeling numb. He had been all over the village, determined more than anything to avoid this one single location.

It was such a simple thing, square and slate grey, the chisled words standard and unimpressive. 'Saturobi Asuma', Konohamaur's uncle and last living realtive.

His parents had both died during a mission, leaving his grandfather and Asuma to raise him and now they too were gone. With Ebisu dead too, it really appeared that he was left alone. He didn't even has Mogei or Udon, they had betrayed him and without them...he had nothing. Because the doctors, while claiming he was healed, were unsure if he truly was fit to return to duty.

Why did he have to lose Ebisu? Or Asuma? Why did Udon and Mogei have to go behind his back? Why did he have to be alone while facing the possibility that he might no longer be allowed to be a ninja? It wasn't fair, he wanted to scream that until his throat was raw, he wanted to cry until his tears some how magically made it all not true.

But he refused to do that. Konohamaru had sworn two years ago, after his grandfathers funeral, to never cry again. So far he had managed it, mostly by fixating on his goal of becoming the Nanadaime Hokage. "Damn everything!" Konohamaru said bitterly, unable to help himself.

"Konohamaru."

The Genin jumped in surprise, turning to find Naruto standing behind him with his hands in his pockets.

"Boss?"

Naruto nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Oi, you haven't called me that for a while now."

"I, huh," Konohamaru blinked thinking about it before turning away to stare at his uncles grave. Silence settled over them, but Konohamaru refused to say anything. He wanted to be alone, to try and get a handle on what was going on, Naruto though seemed to refuse to go anywhere. As a matter of fact, the blond had stepped up to stand beside him, letting the silence stretch on and on.

Finally Konohamaru spoke, saying the only thing that came to mind. "You know, I never really knew him. He was just my uncle," at Naruto's continued silence Konohamaru continued. "I miss him, because he was there for me when I needed him...but I didn't really...and its not like with Ebisu."

"Oi, of course it isn't," Naruto said after a moment, reaching out to rest his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. "I didn't know him that well either actually, but he was a nice guy."

"...Did you know he was going to marry Kurenai-sensei?" Konohamaru said before sighing. "I'm an orphan now and its...I thought I'd have my friends..."

"You always have your firends."

"No!" Konohamaru said heatedly looking at the older boy. "I don't have them, Udon and Moegi, they...behind my back and-I don't have anyone now! Its not just that, they say I might not be able to stay a ninja!" Konohamaru winced a second later as Naruto punched him on his head.

"Oww, what was that for!?" Konohamauar asked, rubbing at his head and glowering at the older ninja.

"You were being an idiot," Naruto said simply. "Maybe they did do _that_ behind your back, but you should be happy for them. I know it hurts, but they're your friends. Don't they deserve some happiness?"

"You don't know what its like," Konohamaru said defensively, glaring at the boy while still rubbing his head tenderly.

"Like hell I don't," Naruto muttered sourly. "Trust me, your not the first one to have something like this happen to you."

Konohamaru started to retort, wanted to retort, but instead he saw the unspoken words in the older boys eyes. Naruto was speaking from experience, he knew what it felt like to have this happen and he was trying to help. Konohamaru stared at the boy, remembering the crush had sported for Sakura and wondered-

-then he was promptly hit on head yet again!

"Owww!" Konohamaru shouted, kicking the blond in the shin's out of instincts. "What was that for?!"

"Owww," Naruto shouted back, then bashed him upside the head even harder. "Oi, don't hit me you prick!"

"You hit me first!" Konohamaru groused, eyeing the boy warily.

"Oi, only because I wanted to tell you that even without your friends you weren't alone."

"What are you talking about? I don't have anyone left niisan, of course I'm alo-" Konohamaru stopped short, as he realized what he had just called Naruto. Niisan. Naruto was here, had hunted him down and was trying to help him. He was...Konohamaru couldn't believe how stupid he was.

"Ahah," Naruto said, nodding as he crossed his arms. "Finally figured it out huh? Yeesh and Ino used to call me stupid?"

"Hey!"

"Oh be quiet," Naruto said with a roll of his eyes, before turning serious. "Konohamaru, life isn't fair. But you have friends, even if they are hurting you right now, and not all families are related by blood. The important thing is to remember your not alone, otherwise you lose yourself in the loneliness and hurt a lot of people that care about you."

Konohamaru blinked, staring at the boy in surprise. That had been rather, well, profound. "Ok, who are you and what have you done with Naruto-niisan?"

"Oi, what do you mean by that?!" Naruto said heatedly grabbing him in a headlock.

"Just that the real Naruto isn't that smart!" Konohamaru shouted back, biting the boys hand. They struggled a few minutes longer until finally Naruto grew bored and released him, allowing Konohamaru to breath. Regaining his breath he sighed, looking once more at his uncles tombstone.

"Oi, so what are you going to do now?" Naruto asked softly.

"I don't know," Konohamaru said, glancing at Naruto. "I can't just keep standing here though. I have to talk to Udon and Mogei."

"Yeah," Naruto said, and then followed him as Konohamaru walked away from the grave. They exited the graveyard in silence, wandering the semi-empty streets. Konohamaru felt so out of place, he still felt alone but it wasn't like earlier. Naruto was right, Konohamaru wasn't alone and now that he realized that, he could shoulder everything that was resting on his shoulders.

"You know," Konohamaru said after a moment, scowling. "I know I'm suppose to be happy for them, but I still wanna get even for going behind my back."

"Ah," Naruto said, an impish grin on his face. "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

"Huh?"

Naruto grinned a little more and reaching into his unzipped jacket produced a scroll. "You're only the second person to ever see what I'm about to show you." Naruto said leading them down a side street to a small training area. "Ero-Sennin was the first but he had to, it was one of my tests on sealing, plus he pitched in some damn good pranks."

"Pranks?" Konohamaru asked, slightly deflated. Pranks were fun, but they were so hard to create and even if he had Naruto's scroll there couldn't be more than a dozen ideas.

"Among other things," Naruto admitted mysteriously, flashing through a series of complicated hand seals and slamming the scroll against the ground. "Engozen ake dame!" There was a poof and the scroll unrolled, revealing that despite its small size it was several feet long.

"...Wow!" Konohamaru said eyes wide staring at the scroll swept up in a desire to learn how to do this. It was amazing to think that a few squiggly lines and chakra could make something so cool.

"Hehe, Ero-sennin was surprised to...he didn't think I would have a knack for Sealing," Naruto explained, a grin on his face. "I specifically designed this scroll to have unlimited space and its designed so I'm the only one that can open it, so its like totally cool!"

"Ebisu-Sensei never showed us any seals though..." Konohamaru admitted softly, almost depressing himself with thoughts about the older man. "He said that teaching seals to Genin was like giving a baby a knife."

"Oi, a Genin is still a ninja," Naruto said flashing him a fox like grin as he gathered a few sticks. "So ya gotta learn 'spcially if ya want to be Hokage someday."

"Right!" Konohamaru sat forward eagerly taking the stick Naruto offered, mind rampant with thoughts and knowledge that Naruto was including him as a Hokage. Shaking his head to clear his mind he instead focused on the older ninja as he explained seals, in his unique way and then explained the prank itself.

Konohamaru was stunned to say the least, amazed, and immediately taken with the idea.

"It'll take some practice and before I leave you can copy the notes ok?" Naruto said with his never fading grin. "Just remember, seals are very tricky and since this will be your first active seal, it could blow up in your face."

"Yes!" Konohamaru said focusing on the scroll in front of him while tracing the seal design in the dirt as Naruto demonstrated. "I won't disappoint you Naruto-niisan!"

Smiling Naruto ruffled his hair.

* * *

_**Konohamaru**_

* * *

Careful breathing, smooth movements, rapid rustling of cloth as open palms struck the post repeatedly. Hyūga Neji weaved his way like a wraith around the training post, practicing his taijutsu. It was perhaps the most relaxing thing he could do, just striking the inanimate post over and over.

It was almost therapeutic really, it helped to keep his mind off other distracting matters. The most distracting of which was approaching from the left, her perfume and his Byakugan alerting him to that fact. Still he refused to let his inner turmoil disrupt the flow of his strikes.

"We need to talk." Tenten said coming to a stop just within the training field their team normally used.

"I fail to see a reason why." Neji said, not stopping his efforts of striking the post. He watched without meaning to as she came closer, circling to his right.

"Too bad, because I do." Tenten said frowning.

Frowning as well, Neji stopped his last strike and eased himself into a neutral stance before turning. "You have made your feelings toward me clear, we have said all we need to. We have nothing further to discuss, unless you wish to spar."

"So let's spar. We need to have this out, Neji. Right now." Tenten said, her frown deepening.

"To say what, Tenten? You've made it clear how you feel-"

Tenten cut him off by moving forward suddenly to grab his arm. "Yeah, I have but you haven't! You came to the clearing that day to tell me something and I said you didn't love me. I need to know, Neji, what were you going to say that day?"

"Remove your hand." Neji whispered, glaring at her. Didn't she understand what he felt like, to have someone he cared about so much now outside his reach. By his own actions no less, and no matter how much he might want to change things, he could not change that.

Tenten hesitated then did as asked, sighing softly. "You, all you ever do is say what your logic tells you. You claim your accepting that not everything is predetermined but you...that day...don't you understand that sometimes you **have** to fight for what you want?"

"I fail to understand-"

"Don't understand!" Tenten said quickly, her look pleading. "Please, for the love of kami, don't understand. Just listen to whatever your heart is saying and tell me what you were going to say that day."

Neji hesitated, a large part of him tempted to admit what he would have said that day. He knew this was a chance, a chance to make things right between them. Still he shook his head and turned away, unable to accept that things could be so easy. "What I was going to say that day is irrelevant."

"You _need_ to say it, because it is not irrelevant!"

He blinked slowly, then felt an anger beginning to build. How dare she believe that she could dictate what was, or was not important between them. How dare she command him, Hyūga Neji, as if he was here only for her feelings. Turning he walked away from her and then stopped, looking at her once more. "You believe that, only because _you've_ decided that it is not. Just as _you_ decided that I did not love you."

"Neji-"

"You decided all of that, just as **I** decided to listen to you and accept that decision."

"What are you-"

"You rendered whatever I had to say that day irrelevant and you can not now decide that it is any different." Neji said curtly.

"Yes I can you egotistical bastard!" Tenten shouted, her face blotching in anger. "Because I love you, because ever since that day I've felt like my heart was ripped out. So I want to know, because you act as if you don't care, that it doesn't bother you!"

Neji's already sparked anger exploded at that, she claimed that he didn't care? How dare she! Still he did not shout, his ingrained clamness growing in strength as he he kept his tone even. "You assume that you know what I feel? That makes you much more egotistical than you could ever claim I could be. It is also very selfish to assume that just by saying this, by coming here and claiming to have changed a previous decision, that things could be any different."

"So I'm selfish!" Tenten shouted back, swinging her arms wide. "At least I admit that I love and want you! You can't, even now when with just three words you could have me back, you can't even admit you cared at all about me. It makes me wonder if you can love at all!"

"...Why should I say it? My actions spoke louder and more clearly than my words ever could." Neji said, then seeing her look turn horrified he continued almost vindictively. "Doubt all that is in existence, but do not make the assumption that I can not love."

Tenten looked hurt, more hurt than he had ever seen her. Neji tried to sooth his ill-feelings with thoughts that it was not his fault. That he had spoken the truth, but it was impossible. He had hurt her, the one person he had never wished to hurt, and he had done it. Closing his eyes, he took a breath then turned to continue on his way.

"You don't get to walk away from this!" Tenten suddenly shouted from behind him.

Pausing Neji opened his eyes, but didn't turn. "We have said all we needed to."

"Neji, I love you..."

Neji paused, foot hovering in mid-step. It would be easy now to turn, say it back, to believe that after all he had said and done that they could be together. However, Neji knew that he had hurt her. That he had rejected her. His pride would not allow him to go back, nor could he allow himself to. Because he loved her, he had hurt her and if he went back he would hurt her again.

To Neji, it was clear that you never hurt the one you loved. Taking that step he kept walking, using his pride and arrogance to keep moving. Still over the soft crunch of twigs and leaves beneath his feet he heard her crying and muttering that she loved him.

Still Hyūga Neji kept walking, because it was the right thing to do.

* * *

**Neji**

* * *

Naruto sighed, rubbing his neck as he entered the gate of his dark home. He hadn't realized just how tiring teaching sealing could be, Naruto could barely believe he had ever thought performing them was the hardest thing. Now he knew better, the real nightmare had been teaching them, thank the kami Konohamaru had picked it up quickly.

Passing through the gates, Naruto paused long enough as he entered his house to remove his shoes. Walking across the 'living room', the blonde Hokage-to-be seriously wished he could have seen Hinata. Of course it was his fault, he'd been hanging out with Konohamaru longer than he had meant to and by the time he had finished it had been late.

Shaking his head he quickly stepped out onto the veranda and then made his way to the bedroom.

Opening the door, taking some pride in his skills of repair, he entered quietly while shrugging off his jacket and laying it on the small dresser he had salvaged. The house was actually coming along nicely, between the Kage Bunshin and Hinata's help in all things traditional, the place was really starting to shape up.

Slipping his forehead protector off he set it on the night stand and collapsed face first into the bed. Groaning in exhaustion, the blond closed his eyes dozing for a moment before waking up and rolling over. Staring at the ceiling he counted the tiles before closing his eyes once more. It had been an exhausting few days, not only had he been on a failed mission to get that stupid chakra device, he had fought an Akatsuki and managed to kill him.

He was getting stronger, but was it strong enough?

Naruto was brought out of further musings as he caught the noise of the door sliding open and then closing softly. He started to move until he caught the scent of Hinata's jasmine perfume. Smiling he remained perfectly still waiting to see what she would do, then he heard the faint whisper of cloth, and that was it before he felt her weight on the bed next to him.

At this he opened his eyes and stared at her, almost immediately noticing a few key facts. First was that her jacket was unzipped, revealing her more than ample chest. Second was that he could see her bare legs, which hinted at the fact that she had taken her pants off, and third was the intense blush on her cheeks as she stared at him nervously.

Naturally, the purely male part of Naruto's mind started rubbing its hands together gleefully. It was a fantasy come true after all, Hinata half naked on his bed and blushing in a very adorable fashion. The more rational part, which was struggling to remain functioning, was confused as hell about Hinata's apparently sudden urge.

"Hinata-chan?"

"N-naruto-kun..." Hinata mumbled and then the girl's blush intensified as she moved, silently guiding his arm beneath the jack to hug her while she moved to lay against him, head on his chest and a bare leg slipping between his.

"Uhmm, not that I'm complain Hina-chan...but er...what's gotten into you?" Naruto managed, forcibly trying to control his body. Kami she felt good, really good. His fingers twitched, stroking her back despite his efforts. Ok, so maybe he wasn't really trying to control himself that much.

"I..." Hinata mumbled, falling silent as Naruto stroked her back gently. "I just wanted...to...make you happy..."

"Hinata?" Naruto said after a moment, his mind almost leaping to what she was going to say next. When she made a soft noise Naruto continued, wondering if he was right or not. "...you don't have to do this to make me happy."

"I just..." Hinata stopped, looking at him. "Don't you...a-anou...don't you want to?"

Naruto suddenly felt his body go stiff, unsure of what to say or do. How the hell did you respond to that sort of question from your girlfriend? Hinata suddenly moved, pushing herself up to stare at him, her pearl-colored eyes searching, almost pleading with him.

"You...a-anou...I'm..." She started to pull away and climb to her feet appearing on the verge of tears.

Naruto of course did the only thing that came to his rather confused mind, he grabbed her wrist, yanked her back down and then proceeded to kiss her. It started as a soft, heartfelt kiss but grew more demanding and more passionate revealing emotions that he could have never imagined from Hinata. His hands seemed to take a cue from the kiss and explored her back and hips.

From there it was only a short trip for his hands to slip beneath her black fishnet shirt to caress her bare skin. This seemed to startle Hinata into breaking their kiss, which prompted Naruto's hands to freeze. The blond could still hear his heart however, it was pounding in his ears, but he didn't move an inch almost afraid that she had changed her mind.

Hinata stared at him, her cheeks damp from the start of her earlier tears, then she sat up and shrugged off the heavy jacket much to Naruto's appreciative gaze. Hinata offered him a shy smile noticing his attention and leaned back down resuming the embrace. Hands moving once more, it was Naruto that broke the kiss this time, only instead of giving her a chance to think he began to awkwardly kiss her chin and down her neck.

It had been something Jiraiya had explained once and Naruto was pleased to find Hinata responding favorably to it.

Encouraged the blond allowed his hands to roam her body even more, hopeful that he would not shock her too much. From the delighted noises she was making, and the way she moved agianst him, Naruto was pretty sure he was doing anything but shocking her. Naruto discovered a sweet spot and Hinata moaned heavily into the kiss, pressing her body completely against him, more enthusiastic than ever and Naruto made sure to revisit the spot several times.

They spent who knew how long just caressing each other, then with one last deep kiss, he stopped to met her half-lidded gaze. "Hina-chan, we don't have to you know."

Hinata hesitated, chewing her bottom lip, her eyes wavering ever so slightly. "I...I just don't...what if so-something happens...anou...w-what if something happens to you and we..."

Naruto was silent for several long minutes and then, despite every part of him that shouted at how stupid he was, rolled them so that they were laying on their side. "Hinata, lets stop ok?"

"No..." Hinata mumbled staring at him with wide eyes, looking almost afraid. "P-please..."

Naruto shook his head, willing himself not to give in. Looking back over this moment, when he wasn't hitting himself, he would wonder who had ever thought he had no will power?

"We'll have plenty of time Hinata, I promise." When Hinata didn't respond he grinned a little, nuzzling her cheek. "I never break a promise Usagi-chan, remember?"

"Roku-kun..." Hinata mumbled.

"Hinata, I promise you that we'll have our entire lives to do everything you thought I wanted tonight or needed to be happy." Naruto said firmly, holding her tighter than ever. "So, don't rush ok? We'll go slow...we'll see how far we're both comfortable with going...and then someday..."

Hinata nodded, almost ashamedly and then started crying softly. "I...I just...I don't k-know...anou..." Hinata choked out between her tears and Naruto frowned, while giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"What?"

"Ninja don't, anou, ninja don't have long lives...and I want t-to make you as happy as I can in the t-time we have." Hinata mumbled thickly. "I...I don't want to lose you...so I, I thought if I could...if I could make you hap-happy like this..."

Naruto was silent and then kissed her forehead softly. "Oi, Hina-chan?"

"Y-yes?" Hinata looked up at him nervously.

"From now on, if you want me to be happy, just be yourself ok?" Naruto grinned, eyes closing in his trademark fashion.

Hinata nodded, then grinned a little herself. "Uhmm Naru-kun, earlier..." She flushed suddenly. "When your hands...uhmm...you know...t-touched..."

"Yea?" Naruto blinked staring at her curiously, feeling a nervous hope welling up inside him.

"Uhmm...could you...m-maybe...uh, do that again?" Hinata stammered, blushing brighter than ever.

Naruto blushed as well, wetting his suddenly dry lips while his hands slipped back to they're previous positions on her body. "S-sure..."

Hinata couldn't help but make a noise of delight and kiss him heatedly.

* * *

**Naruto**

* * *

Shikamaru stifled his yawn, staring up at the darkening sky overhead. The day was pretty much over, but he couldn't go home just yet. There would be a lot of yelling and lectures, mostly from his mother. Plus, the entire way back Naruto had refused to let them stop for a moments rest. The boy had been upset and there was no denying that Shikamaru was feeling a little guilty about that.

The boy had a point really, troublesome as it was to admit. Still, Shikamaru took some comfort in the fact that he had been able to explain his actions to the Hokage to keep his team out of an ANBU cell for desertion. Shaking it off he turned his mind back toward the clouds, loosing himself as they drifted high over head without a care in the world.

"I thought you'd be here," Ino said softly walking over to sit beside him. She was joined a minute later by Choji who was eating from his bag of chips as quietly as he could.

"I haven't been able to do this for a few days," Shikamaru said absently. Ino in response laid down beside him and he knew without looking that she had closed her eyes.

"So do you think he was right," Ino asked after a moment, her tone guarded. "I mean, we did go out there for revenge and we did get at least one of our friends hurt."

Shikamaru was silent for a moment, staring up at a particular cloud lost in thought about what Asuma had told him. What the goal of all Konoha Shinobi, the protection of the King, or more directly the children who would inherit the Will of Fire. He mused about Naruto and his point of view, then sighed. "It's troublesome, but I don't think he was right...but then neither was I. It's about perspective."

"What are you talking about?" Ino demanded, sitting up suddenly and Shikamaru was aware of Choji pausing to stare at him as well.

"All of us," Shikamaru explained closing his eyes. "We're like Shogi pieces, Knights and Bishops, all used to protect the King. Just like Shogi we can be used in a variety of attacks and defenses, depending on the player controlling us. We made the decision that we should go after those two because we would have anyway and we knew that our chance of success was decently high."

Opening his eyes he stared up at the sky, noting the first star as it peeked over head from behind the clouds. "The Hokage, Naruto, they made other decisions because they knew more than we did about our opponents. We made assumptions that we knew all of their secrets and were strong enough to handle the fight."

"That didn't answer the question," Choji said gently.

Shikamaru sighed and sat up as well. "This is troublesome, but Asuma-sensei was wrong about at least one thing. I wouldn't make a good Hokage."

"Aa, but your plans worked great and-" Ino started to say defensively but Shikamaru cut her off.

"...and I jeopardized my friends for revenge. I created a plan assuming I knew everything, but I forgot to consult the Hokage or others that might have more information. I assumed these were just strong missing-nin's."

"We would have gone anyway," Choji said eating a chip once more.

"Yeah, it's not like you were alone out there." Ino added. "It was _our _decision."

"I'm not saying you wouldn't, I'm not even saying we shouldn't have gone." Shikamaru explained keeping his groan of annoyance in check. "What I am saying is that a Hokage would have thought things through better, would have used common sense and known that three Chunin against two S-ranked criminals was not a good plan."

"But, you won and we could have-"

"Ino, we are the weakest of the Rookie Nine. Yes, I defeated that Hidan, but his partner would have killed you and Choji. Then he would have killed me as well when I showed up."

"For what it's worth," Ino said softly glancing at him. "I think Asuma-sensei was right, you'd make a great Hokage."

"It'd be too troublesome," Shikamaru said with a sigh, laying back on the grassy hill once more. "Besides' that's Naruto's job."

"Plus, he'd kill you if you did become Hokage." Choji added with a chuckle.

Ino laughed and then started joking about various things concerning a Hokage Naruto and the village. Shikamaru however tuned them out, focusing on the stars and thinking about the Will of Fire and Shogi. In the end he decided it was just to troublesome and left it for the moment to others.

* * *

**Shikamaru**

* * *

Rock Lee was a blur of motion, a green upon green haze, as he moved through his self-made form. Butterfly kicks, followed by spinning heel kicks, followed by elbows and punches, front kicks, side kicks. High block, low block, inner forearm block, palm heel blocks. A leg sweep combined with continuous spinning Heel kick as he rose followed by another leg sweep, which was finished with a knife hand and upset punch.

Panting Lee stopped, feeling the burn after such an early morning exercise. Forms were an important part of his training regimen, they forced him to practice moves even ones that he normally didn't use. Helped him to keep his arsenal sharp and ready for anything.

He had been at this since before dawn, form after form, working his way silently, without thought, toward a solution to his inner problems. Sakura and her feelings for Naruto, the jealousy he held for Naruto, the fact that Neji and Tenten were not only broken up but that he had found Tenten crying last night.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slow and tilted his head back to relax.

The solutions were so obvious now, for Sakura he could only be there for her when she needed him. For his jealousy he would accept that it would never go away, but he would not allow it to consume him. For Neji and Tenten, the only solution there would be to speak with Neji and force the boy to see what he was doing.

"You are up early."

Lee jerked slightly, startled then turned to stare at the white eyed Hyūga that had just been occupying his thoughts. Neji looked mildly curious at Lee's presence so early, but mostly he looked as bored as he normally did. Lee felt a slight twitch of annoyance at that, if one friend was hurt so badly that she cried, then other should be as well.

"Yosh, as a bright flame of youth I could not let my flames burn pointlessly." Lee said, then seeing Neji's look of annoyance felt refreshed that the other boy could show emotion. "I spoke with Tenten yesterday."

"Lee," Neji said in warning, his gaze growing dark. "What occurs between myself and Tenten is none of your affair."

"It is indeed my affair, as two of my best-friends and dearest teammates are determined to hurt each other." Lee countered, turning to face the other young man completely. "As a bright flame of youth, I must say something to help you both."

"I do not need your help." Neji said curtly, his tone brooking no argument.

Lee however, was not about to back down. It was not his way, nor was it honorable since he was the only one in this position. No he would have to press ahead and force Neji to confront the truth. "I fear that you do, both of you. She because you show none of your emotions and you because you refuse to admit you love her."

"Lee," Neji said turning to walk away "drop it."

"Neji-"

"I am serious." Neji said, stopping, his tone almost threatening.

"So am I." Lee said, following the other young man. "Yosh, something is wrong and you are not acting like the Neji I know."

"Lee, you have no idea what is occurring." Neji said, turning to glare at him.

Lee frowned and crossed his arms, matching the Hyūga glare for glare. He would not be intimidated or threatened, he had a duty to his friends. A duty he was determined to see through to the end. "Tenten broke up with you, you let her go. She has now decided she wants you and you...have refused."

"It is more complicated than-"

"Yosh, it is very simple," Lee said, cutting Neji off "do you love her?"

"You don't get it," Neji said, the tone of his voice rising slightly. It was a sign of just how much emotion he was feeling and Lee knew it. "She _decided_ I did not love her, then she decided that because _she _loved me that **I **must love her. She pretends that only she feels, that her decisions are the only ones that matter."

"Yosh, are you going to let her go?" Lee asked, his tone subdued, counter to Neji's. Now that he was here speaking with Neji, Lee actually found he had nothing to say that could change his mind. All he had was what his heart told him to say, oh why couldn't Gai-sensei have given him tips for this situation.

"It is not my decision." Neji said sharply, eyes narrowed.

"Of course it is," Lee said, narrowing his own eyes. "It is your destiny, your fate. Yosh, she has left it as your decision."

"I find it funny that you can stand there and advise me on my relationship, when you yourself, are single." Neji said, his tone biting. "You're only crush is a girl that is fixated on two other men. You are not even in her mind, let alone her heart."

Lee winced, but held strong. Now was not the time to show weakness to Neji's comments, no matter how truthful Lee felt they were. Still it was an effort to keep from physically hitting Neji, but he mastered himself knowing that fighting would only work as a last resort in this situation. So instead he pressed his earlier attacks.

"Yosh, no matter what you say, I know of my standing with the beautiful but dangerous cherry blossom. You however do not know yours with Tenten, because you are afraid to look at yourself."

"Lee-"

"If _you_ love her," Lee said quickly, cutting the young man off once more "if your youthful flame burns bright for her, then you must tell her. By not telling her, you are hurting both her and yourself."

Neji blinked, then closed his eyes. He didn't say a word, but Lee didn't need him to. He knew Neji better than most people, he knew when the boy was surrendering. That Neji was realizing that he was beaten. Lee felt pride course through him, he had reached the boy without a punch, had helped two of his dearest companions find each other once more.

"Yosh! Gai-sensei, you would be so proud!" Lee suddenly shouted, holding his hands before him and tearing up. "FOR TWO SUCH BRIGHT FLAMES TO REKINDLE THERE LONG DORMANT PASSION FOR ONE ANOTHER! TRULY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH AND SPRINGTIME OF LOVE ARE BRIGHTEST NOW!"

"Lee...I am going to walk away," Neji said turning as he did just that "and I am going to pretend I did not just hear any of that."

"GO FORTH NEJI! CREATE EVER BRIGHTER FLAMES OF YOUTH AND LOVE WITH YOUR PRECIOUS TENTEN!"

* * *

**Lee**

* * *

Hyūga Hinata had never thought, never in her wildest dreams believed, that she would be sneaking _into_ her Clan's Estate after a night at Naruto's. Nor had she ever dreamed of seeing Naruto quite as nervous as he currently was, due to a fear of being found, but thankfully they had managed to bypass each Hyūga they had come across.

Naruto however, seemed to be growing more and more nervous with each passing second, not that Hinata could blame him, it did indeed feel as if they were on the edge of being caught. Not that they had done anything improper, not really, sorta, if you _really_ stretched the term and kind of squinted with your head tilted.

Just thinking about what had happened last night was enough to make Hinata blush and stumble, kami it had been beautiful and...a little overwhelming.

Still she knew it would not be the last time they 'explored' in such a manner and while she was sure it wasn't improper really, she wasn't so sure her father would see it that way. Oh no, she could see her father viewing it in an entirely unfavorable way. Glancing at her boyfriend, Hinata smiled slightly watching as he constantly kept looking around determined to not get caught sneaking her back into her room.

He was so sweet and he had stopped her from a huge mistake last night. Hinata knew she would have slept with him, even though she hadn't felt entirely ready for that step, but he had stopped her.

"-Hinata-sama has been missing since last night?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama is rather upset with her."

Hinata came to an abrupt stop, along with Naruto who grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows of a nearby building. Her heartbeat increased, both from the proximity and the fact that her absence had been discovered. Straining she tried to hear what they were saying but couldn't quite make anything out as the two moved away.

"Aa, Hinata-chan, I think we better move quickly," Naruto said in an urgent whisper. "I really don't want you getting into more trouble."

Hinata nodded and quickly stepped away from him and they both rushed through the Estate, Hinata leading the way to her room. She had the patrol routes memorized, which helped greatly and it appeared that they would accomplish the mission unnoticed, though Hinata was beginning to wonder about why exactly Naruto needed to escort her all the way to her room.

Shaking it off she rounded a corner and let out a note of alarm at the body that was in her way, still she managed to pivot and twist gracefully around them to avoid the collision. Naruto however was not so lucky, he ran full force into the man carrying him to the ground. Hinata paused, staring at the two, then felt her face pale as she realized that the man in question was Neji.

Neji and Naruto quickly separated, though both were looking rather angry. Anger from Neji was never a good thing, especially in this situation.

"Naruto-san, You should watch where- Hinata-sama?!" Neji said sweeping his gaze toward her and Hinata became acutely aware of how rumpled her clothes were.

"Ahaha, Neji, its not what you-" Naruto said edging around the boy to join her side.

"You two." Neji said slowly, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Explanation. A Good one. Now."

"Ahah, well see...the thing is," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. Hinata shrank in on herself, trying to hide behind the blond. "Well, see..."

"I'm waiting."

"Oi, so we had a date only it was sorta delayed because of Konohamaru and stuff...so she came over to hang out. Well it got so late that she would have to wake up the whole place to get in right? So I offered to let her stay at my place, she took the bed and I slept outside...so nothing happened."

Hinata blinked, relaxing as she stared at the boy in amazement. He had sounded so believable, if she hadn't known better even she would have believed his story. Looking away from him she glanced at Neji who was eyeing the other boy carefully before glancing at her, his gaze hesitant.

"Hinata-sama, I am sorry I assumed otherwise. I can only ask that you forgive my rash presumption, it was only natural to assume considering the circumstances."

"O-of course," Hinata managed in amazement, unable to believe that Neji had been fooled.

"Naruto-san," Neji said, turning to look at the boy, a small grin on his face "I believe you and Hinata-sama should part ways now. I of course, may believe that nothing happened, but Hiashi-sama may be of a different opinion. I can guide her back without undo problems from here."

Hinata wondered about that grin, but turned her mind to the blond who was looking torn. Reaching out she rested a hand on his arm and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Anou, he's right Naruto-kun. Father would be very...closed minded in this situation."

"Bah," Naruto said in annoyance, but grinned wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in tight. "Then I'll see you later, neh?"

"Y-yes," Hinata managed, blushing as he leaned in for a kiss...

Only to be interrupted by Neji. "I do not believe you have time for _that_. Hiashi-sama is on his way here now."

Naruto made a frustrated sound then shooting Neji a dark glare pulled away from her. Hinata felt much like him, she really liked kissing Naruto after all, but instead stayed silent as Naruto preformed a Shunshin. Sighing she turned her attention to Neji who was looking stoic as ever.

"We should go."

Nodding Hinata turned, heading for her room with Neji at her side. It was a rather oppressive moment in her opinion, but at least he didn't think they had done anything improper. She had no trouble picturing Neji trying to 'avenge her honor', despite herself being a willing participant.

Sighing she turned her mind toward other matters, namely Neji and Tenten, she had notice the change in both and had been meaning to comment on it. Only instead of her commenting on his relationship, he commented on hers. "Hinata-sama, I believe the next time you and Naruto-san decided to 'hang out' as you did last night you should at least take a change of clothes."

"W-what are you-"

"Hinata-sama," Neji said tiredly, with a hint of humor. "I have had two girlfriends, I am very capable of recognize the signs of 'hanging out'."

Hinata blushed and just gave up on talking.

* * *

**Hinata**

* * *

"T-Tsunade-sama," Shizune's voice piped, followed by the dark haired woman's head peeking in through the door.

Looking up from her mountains of paperwork, which mostly covered previous paperwork that she had already completed, Tsunade fixed her apprentice with her most formidable glare. It was a glare nominally used to alert her apprentices that Tsunade was both pissed at something and at them for interrupting her. Shizune naturally winced, but didn't retreat or move, knowing from experience that a sudden move now could end badly.

"Well?" Tsunade said curtly, her temper flaring. Shizune quickly slipped into the room, followed by a middle aged man with sandy hair and hard eyes. Tsunade glanced from the man to Shizune, then back to the man. "Who's this and why am I bothering to stop my paperwork about paperwork to ask?"

"Er..Tsunade-sama, this is-"

"I'm the Tsuchikage," the man said simply arching an eyebrow expectantly.

Apparently he felt like he was due a proper greeting. Tsunade stared at him for a minute before turning her attention back to her paper work. "Ah, glad you made it...missing your hat you know."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune yelped, turning to try and placate the man. "I'm sorry, Tsuchikage-sama. Normally she isn't like this, but she's been overworked lately and her temper is rather short-"

"Shizune!" Tsunade snapped jolting the younger woman into silence as she held out a stack of papers. "Take these to Houra and Karou, they're my confirming of appointment of my selected designate of appointment."

Shizune took the papers, then offering a hurried bow to both Kage's left the office. A moment passed and then the Tsuchikage spoke, sounding slightly befuddled. "Appointment of selected designate of appointment? What does all that mean?"

"Just a really long way of saying that I confirmed who I wanted as my successor." Tsunade sighed, reaching up to pinch her nose. "I don't know about Iwa, but they try to bombard the Hokage with as much paperwork as possible."

"Actually, I think that's how it is in all the villages," the Tsuchikage confided before approaching her desk and indicated the chair. "May I?"

"Why not," Tsunade said, leaning back in her own seat to stare at the man curiously. This was the first time being so close to a ninja from Iwa in a long time, plus it was the first time a Kage other than herself was so informally garbed. "So...no guards? No robes?"

"Well this is a 'Secret Meeting', I figured that showing up in all my regale might tip off Akatsuki spies. As for the guards I know Konoha ninja, you honor your pacts and would never do something so silly as to assassinate an ally." At this he smiled wryly. "Of course, I felt enough killer intent from the ninja that knew who I was that I don't relish the decision now."

"Heh, not surprising. Konoha ninja have a long memory as do Iwa ninja, so I expect animosity on both sides for a while." Tsunade confided before lacing her fingers together. "So I take it that you've settled on a final course of action?"

"Unfortunately, it is the option which I least like. What my village will be loosing is something very valuable," the Tsuchikage said before leaning to the side and propping his chin in hand "I am also reluctantly asking that you agree to do the same with _your_ Jinchuriki."

"...and why would I agree to that?" Tsuande said, her tone deathly cold.

"Because, they are the last two in the world and if they're dead then Akatsuki has been neutralized. Between Konoha, Iwa and Suna we can defeat whatever Bijuu they decide to use, however they decide to use them."

"First off," Tsunade said climbing to her feet, hands pressing against the desk forcing the sturdy wood to groan "they're might be a third out there somewhere. Second off, there are no Jinchuriki within Konoha."

"Oh don't be so naive that you think that you can lie to me." the man said, standing as well. "You're villagers, might when within your lands, be unable to speak of it but outside...everyone knows. Of course Iwa knows, how could we not considering his past with us."

"You misunderstand," Tsunade grated out, the desk groaning even louder as she pressed down on it "The Kyubi was indeed sealed inside a baby. But there are no 'Jinchuriki' within Konoha, that word and term do not exist within this village or this country."

"But it is what he is!"

"No! What he is, what Naruto is, is the most dedicated and loyal **ninja** and future Hokage we have. Nothing more and nothing less!" Tsunade barked, slapping her hands on the desk hard enough to snap the legs. "Now, Konoha will provide you with the best trackers we have, because that's our original agreement. What you do with your ninja is your business, but make no mistake that Naruto is not going to be murdered so you can sleep safer at night."

"Fine." the Tsuchikage said tightly, eyes narrowed. "What of the last _ninja_?"

"I'm expecting information on their location any minute and when I receive it, I will send out a suitable team," Tsunade said ominously "and please, feel free to send your own."


End file.
